It may be several weeks before the victims of the Daly River flooding in the Northern Territory are able to return to their community.
The township was totally evacuated, and with the river remaining at over 15 metres and expected to rise again before the end of the week, it may be a long time before its residents can go home.
Deputy Chief Minister Willem Westra van Holthe said on Wednesday the NT government was open to talking to the victims and the Commonwealth about relocating the community away from the water, given that flooding is a regular occurrence.
The government has begun processing relief payments for flooding victims at the emergency evacuation centre at the Darwin Showgrounds, and they will be able to access the money in January once they go home.
"What we want to do is make sure this money is targeted at relief and recovery for the flood event, not provided to residents too early so it's spent before they have the opportunity to recover," he said.
Across the NT, the emergency response is continuing, with the Stuart and Victoria Highways reopened.
Police have suspended the search for a man swept away in floodwaters in a creek near Peppimenarti on Christmas Day until waters recede further.
"We're hoping we can find this man alive, but certainly we hold grave fears for his safety; he is now presumed dead, unfortunately," Mr Westra van Holthe said.
The message from the tragedy was to stay away from floodwaters, which are dangerous and unpredictable, he said.
Meanwhile at Daly River, animal welfare officers have been airlifting 60 pet dogs to temporary kennels at the neighbouring Five Mile community.
"What we try to do in natural disasters is look after everything from top to bottom, and that includes our pets," Mr Westra van Holthe said.
"If we had've left all these (dogs) out there, they probably would have starved, and we don't want animals to be starving under these circumstances."
Crocodiles remain a concern, and there have been anecdotal reports of crocodiles taking two dogs from the community over the weekend.
"The Daly is notorious for large crocodiles, and large numbers of crocodiles," Mr Westra van Holthe said.
"(We expect) that once the floodwaters recede the crocs will recede with it. It's highly unlikely that crocodiles would hang around the community once the floodwaters have gone."
He said rapid action teams would move in to the community as soon as the waters recede to survey infrastructure and any crocodile risk.
The tropical low system has moved south to the Barkly district, and the Bureau of Meteorology warns that severe thunderstorms and heavy rain may lead to flash-flooding for the Barkly and Simpson districts.
Places that may be affected include Ampilatwatja, Arltunga, Jervois and Ross River.
