Far North residents of Wujal Wujal deal with shock and anxiety after flood evacuation
Exhausted elders sit quietly and children play at the Cooktown PCYC, where 300 residents from Wujal Wujal were evacuated to 10 days ago – and the shock of their experience is just setting in.
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Australia’s newest refugees are battling shock and anxiety over an uncertain future after being evacuated by Chinook helicopters from Wujal Wujal, 230km north of Cairns, on December 19 and 20.
Many of 300 people rescued from the town on the Bloomfield River have moved from the Red Cross-run Cooktown PCYC evacuation centre to other accommodation, although they return for meals provided by the Salvation Army.
Lena Sykes said it was heartbreaking to leave Wujal Wujal after enduring days without water or power, then looking at the flooded community from the air.
“Everybody’s lost everything, you know,” she said.
Lucas Creek said people needed a daily update.
“We need to know where we stand, what’s going on,” he said.
He said Tropical Cyclone Jasper was minor and the following day was calm and clear – and then the torrential rain began.
“You could never fathom the amount of water that come through that night, and how quick, I’ve been through a lot of things in life but this was a devastating experience, we basically felt like no one could get to us, but the community rallied pretty good together,” Mr Creek said.
“We all helped each other, we pitched in and made sure the elderly were safe and the animals were ok.
“My nephew was in hospital waiting for the SES chopper the day before the rain, and he ended up sitting on the roof of the hospital with the clinical staff.”
Mr Creek said the amount of water was unimaginable.
“It was so shocking, just gobsmacking – it’s something I’ll never forget, it was so frightening,” he said.
“We are North Queenslanders, but to go through something like that – it was like the sort of thing you see on movies, refugees being evacuated.
“At this point in time, no one really knows where we stand, what time frame we have, and we’re looking to move forward – if there’s any politicians who would like to redeem themselves, now is probably a good time.
“I think we just need as much help as we can get, and a lot of people having been digging deep, so if we can just hold it together we’ll come out the other side.”
Federal Services Minister Bill Shorten, who visited Cooktown with Federal MP for Leichhardt Warren Entsch on Friday, said prioritising mental health for all Far Northerners affected by the flood was key and social workers were being sent up.
He said the message driven home to him by Wujal Wujal people was that communication was key.
Mr Shorten said extra Services Australia staff were in the Far North including at Cooktown to help people access payments.
Salvation Army Emergency Services North Queensland co-ordinator Captain Lincoln Stevens said the team tried their best to make Christmas special.
“It’s been very fluid with people staying in other accommodation, we had 240 for Christmas and we tried to make it as nice as possible, we did baked ham,” he said.
He said 19 pallets of food and supplies were flown in.
“Everyone pitched in and helped us load up and get it back here, it’s been brilliant, really,” Capt Stevens said.
Queensland Police Superintendent David Johnson said 10 to 12 officers from Brisbane were rotating in to Cooktown and Wujal Wujal to help local police who had fatigue but he said there were no policing issues at all.
“They’re a very humble, very humble, very, very proud community,” Supt Johnson said.
“When the lights go out at night, if a couple of little children start running around, one of the elders will get up and speak quietly to them, and they’ll just go straight to bed – I wish I could do that with my children,” he said.
“They’re very respectful, they get up on the morning and clean, they get along very well, we’ve had no trouble from a policing perspective at all – it has been quite an honour and a privilege to help them.”
He said army officers did their best to minimise the trauma of evacuation by Chinook helicopters.
“They made it more of a treat for the children,” he said.
“I think was more leaving your home and not knowing when to ever come back, the uncertainty of that is setting in now.”
It is not known when the community will be able to return home.
Supt Johnson said damage assessments of houses and infrastructure were under way, power and sewerage needed to be restored and a massive clean-up of inundated properties was needed before the community could return.
Queensland Ambulance is on site at the PCYC and has triage rooms.
Elder Adelaide Baird said sitting in the sun waiting for the helicopter, she had a stroke and ended up on a stretcher.
She said she had never seen such a severe weather event.
Red Cross has been inundated with donations from Cooktown locals.
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