[2][3] The intense rainfall also occurred during "king high tides" in the Timor Sea that pushed water from the lower reaches upstream, as a result, floodwater drainage was impeded.

On Australia Day, 26 January, roads north and south from Katherine were closed due to rising floodwaters, and Royal Australian Air Force personnel from RAAF Base Tindal joined local police and emergency services to assist with sandbagging critical infrastructure.

[4] Two days later, 392 residents were evacuated from the Daly River region, approximately 200 km (120 mi) downstream from Katherine, where floodwaters had risen above 11.5m and would continue to rise to a peak of 16.8 m (55 ft) on 3 February.

[7] When the flood waters receded, priority was given to making critical facilities such as the hospital operational once again, with 300 additional Australian Defence Force personnel arriving to assist with the clean-up.

The pastoral industry, worth over $60 million[7] annually to the region was badly affected by the loss of whole herds of livestock to the rising waters.

[11] A study conducted by the School for Social and Policy Research at Charles Darwin University in 2008 analysed trends in census data before and after the disaster and found that the population had not yet recovered to pre-flood levels ten years after the event, and the demographics in the town had shifted significantly.