NOA, Edge Hill cops ‘far worse’ flooding than Cyclone Jasper

A run-of-the-mill rain event destroyed 15 cars and left a popular Cairns restaurant in knee-deep flooding. Watch the video and find out what caused the destruction.

A busy Cairns business precinct has been left devastated by floodwaters with at least 15 cars destroyed following a “misinformed” council decision to reinstall a drain grate.

Edge Hill Village on Saturday copped a torrent of water residents had not seen in a decade after a run-of-the-mill overnight total of 149mm.

The water tore through popular restaurant NOA and filled an underground residential car park, causing 15 cars to be towed out.

A recently installed drain grate caused a torrent of water to sweep through Edge Hill Village on Saturday, 17 February 2024. Picture: Supplied

A body corporate committee member of Chateau Bohemia, the apartment complex hit by the floods, said the damage likely totalled “hundreds of thousands of dollars”.

“The water just gushed into the carpark at such speed and force there was no time to get our cars out of the underground carpark, which houses 15 cars,” she said.

“All vehicles parked in there at the time are now in the process of being written off.”

Sam Byrd, the former owner of NOA, said he successfully lobbied council to remove the drain grate in 2014 after a similar flooding event.

A recently installed drain grate caused a torrent of water to sweep through Edge Hill Village on Saturday, 17 February 2024. Picture: Supplied

It’s understood the grate was reinstalled three weeks ago with no explanation or notice given to surrounding properties.

“The grate acts like a filter causing all the debris to sit up against it, leaving the water with nowhere to go,” Mr Byrd said.

“It’s a total oversight … there was a reason it was taken away 10 years ago. There’s already a fence around the drain as well.

“I was there until well after midnight cleaning the mud out of NOA, which was 60cm deep in water.

“We went through Cyclone Jasper without an ounce of flooding. Saturday night was far worse for us.”

Fifteen cars parked in the Chateau Bohemia underground carpark have been written off after a blocked drain caused huge flooding in Edge Hill on Saturday.

Division 7 councillor Max O’Halloran said the grate was recently reinstalled for safety reasons.

“The grate was put on to stop kids playing around there and getting locked in the drain, and to stop the rubbish from blocking the drain,” he said.

“Unfortunately if something comes across the water goes up and over.”

The grate has been left lifted up after Saturday's flooding in Edge Hill Village. Picture: Supplied

Mr O’Halloran said he was waiting to hear an update from council officers.

“It’s up to council officers to sort out which they’ll be onto today (Monday),” he said.

The Chateau Bohemia committee member said the body corporate had lodged a formal complaint with the Cairns Regional Council.

“Council is making no apology and has not been willing to work with us,” she said.

“They have initially said as it’s private property, they can’t get their equipment in to clear the mud from an unusable car park.

“We’re on an extremely busy street with 15 cars that will need to be rehomed … that’s going to have a snowball effect on local businesses, taking car parks away from customers.”

She said the body corporate was “in no position” to pay for the damage upfront and go back to council with a claim, with no financial assistance from council forthcoming.

A Cairns Regional Council spokesperson said crews were immediately onsite to address the issue.

“The sheer volume of water and debris effectively clogged it and compromised the drainage,” they said.

“Engineers will review the structure in light of Saturday’s downpour to determine how to best address flow capacity, debris impact and public safety.”

Originally published as NOA, Edge Hill cops ‘far worse’ flooding than Cyclone Jasper