Cyclone Jasper: Port Douglas residents batten down for impact
Residents are deploying sandbags and squaring away valuables as Cyclone Jasper bears down on Far North Queensland communities.
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Showers and breezes have started to pick up in Far North Queensland, where residents are preparing for Tropical Cyclone Jasper’s arrival.
At Palm Cove, north of Cairns, eateries and hotels along the waterfront were starting to bring furniture inside and tidying up in anticipation of high winds and a tidal surge.
NRMA Palm Cove Holiday Park operators Paul and Teresa Boswell were busy sandbagging the office and securing any items left outside with the help of their children Charlie, 7, and Sophia, 3.
Days ago the park was bustling with 90 guests, but on Tuesday zero remained.
“We had a few international people who didn’t even know it was coming,” Ms Boswell said.
“We’ve helped get housing for a few people and made sure everyone has a safe place to go.”
She said in addition to the high winds forecast, the park was in the red zone for a tidal surge.
“We’re tidying up and securing loose items, anything that could become a missile in the wind,” she said.
Ms Boswell said they were grateful for the support of locals and staff who had helped prepare for the coming weather.
“We’ve had heaps of community support,” she said.
“Even people we don’t know, so a big shout-out to all of them.
“All we can do is prepare as best we can and see what happens.
“We know how unpredictable cyclones are, so it’s just about being as prepared as possible.
“Clear communication is so important.”
Further north at Port Douglas, dozens of residents were preparing for flooding and tidal surges, filling up sandbags.
Nimrod Resort owners Gus and Leanne Peterson said the business was at risk of tidal surge.
“We’ve been here nine or 10 years and we’ve been pretty lucky with cyclones, we haven’t really got anything that’s been too bad,” Mr Peterson said.
“We’re taking precautions because if we get a lot of rain, it could still flood and water could get into units.
“We’ll do our best to keep everything dry.”
Mr Peterson said guests had started leaving a few days ago but he hoped it would be business as usual once Jasper had crossed the coast.
“We have a couple of guests but most are starting to leave,” he said.
“Ordinarily we wouldn’t be quite as busy right now but it does get a lot busier going into Christmas.”
Port Douglas resident Adam Howard said Cyclone Jasper was forecast to be the most serious cyclone he had experienced in his 13 years living in the coastal community.
“In 2015 we half-missed one but this will be the first proper one for us,” he said.
“I think it’s more so the storm surge people are worried about.
“I’m in the orange zone because there is a lake right behind us.”
Mr Howard said he began preparing his home about two days ago, collecting water, lifting up appliances and getting valuables away from the windows.
“I have mixed feelings, it’s exciting but scary,” he said.
“I think people who have been here for a long time are pretty relaxed.
“My wife and two-year-old son will be staying at (a hotel) to be safe and I’m holding down the fort with the dogs.”
The main street of Port Douglas would ordinarily be heaving with holidaymakers at this time of year but most shops have already closed ahead of Jasper’s arrival.
One business owner described the deserted streets as a “ghost town”, saying she would usually be inundated with school holiday customers.
Sisters Caitlin and Emeir Mernagh moved from Ireland to Australia just eight weeks ago and are now preparing to experience their first tropical cyclone.
They have been living and working in Port Douglas for six weeks.
“We’re not really sure how to feel because we’re getting a lot of mixed signals from the locals,” Caitlin said.
“Some are serious and worried about it and others are like ‘oh don’t worry about it, it’s usually nothing’.”
Emeir, who works in a local café, said her shift had been cancelled for Tuesday.
“We’ll also be closed tomorrow (Wednesday) and then we’ll see about Thursday depending on how bad things are,” she said.
Caitlin said she also worked in a restaurant and would head to work on Wednesday if conditions allowed.
“The restaurant I work in is inside a hotel so we have to open,” she said.
“It just depends on whether I can get there or not.”
They said they were both “feeling fine” about Cyclone Jasper’s arrival but their family back home was not as calm.
“They’re very worried back home,” Emeir said.
“A lot more than we are,” Caitlin added.
Caitlin’s partner Tom Ryan arrived in Port Douglas on Monday and had no idea what he was flying into.
“I actually didn’t realise about (the cyclone) until I got here and I saw the signs outside of the shops,” he said.
“We get a lot of bad storms at home but I think this will be worse than anything I’ve seen before.”
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