LOCUM pharmacist Evan Walters is still in flood-ravaged Katherine, NT (PD 10 Mar), having been unable to reach his next locum role in Alice Springs, and was able to help with the clean-up.
Here he reports as the town braces for more water in the wake of tropical cyclone Narelle.
Katherine is facing its fifth flood of the wet season - the river is rising again, even as clean-up from the major 07 Mar peak carries on.
The rhythm feels oddly familiar - move stock, check roads, keep the work going.
When the water first dropped, the priority was safety.
We inspected every shelf to see which stock items were flood-affected, and while the electronic systems mostly held, losing the main server meant no reliable way to track damaged stock.
Staff at both pharmacies in town spent days cleaning, counting, and logging stock losses.
It feels like a long time ago, but it's been two weeks - the smell in the dispensary still reminds us where the water reached.
No one tackles this alone.
Police coordinated safe access to the pharmacies during the last flood; transport crews continue road repairs; and the local health service works alongside pharmacies to maintain continuity.
Greyhound buses and local businesses have become ad-hoc couriers.
Customers who have waited through it all stay patient - they've seen worse, and they understand the show must go on.
There's no handbook for the fifth flood in a season.
What keeps life going is the people - those who turn up, improvise, and trust that someone else will do the same.
The river's rising again, but there's community effort behind every script dispensed to match it.
Evan Walters is a senior pharmacist with extensive experience in rural and remote communities.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 24 Mar 26
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