Flood ruined homes leave at least 80 families homeless for Christmas

At least 80 Cairns families will be spending Christmas in emergency accommodation arranged via the State Department of Housing.

At least 80 Cairns families will be spending Christmas in emergency accommodation arranged via the State Department of Housing.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) damage assessments are revealing relatively little serious structural damage to buildings – but hundreds of people, especially in Yorkeys Knob, Holloways Beach, Machans Beach, Caravonica and Lake Placid – have lost everything they owned in the house.

Streets in Machans Beach are piled high with wrecked furniture, whitegoods, mattresses and household contents as residents sort through what little is left. Picture: Bronwyn Farr

Piles and piles of damaged and destroyed household items line streets in many suburbs, with council set to do a gigantic waste collection.

Shelter Housing Action Cairns (SHAC) chief executive Sally Watson said the state wide rental crisis would only get worse in the Far North as a result of the floods.

“We have fewer liveable homes as a result of this awful weather event,” she said.

“We expect to see more people struggling to find a home and at the same time suffering the consequences of not having a secure place to live.

“We are worried about increased pressure on our services, but most importantly we are worried for our fellow Far North Queenslanders,” Ms Watson said.

Cairns Property Office agent Shane Trimby said his office had placed a few families in homes post-flood.

Tracy Walker with Tyler and Roman Archer evacuated to the Machans Beach Community Hall after their house was inundated by flood water. Picture: Peter Carruthers

“We have had a high volume of requests for rental properties,” he said.

“Additionally, we have received inquiries from insurance assessors looking to relocate here for at least six months,” Mr Trimby added.

State Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said there had been 80 requests for emergency housing for 119 adults and 53 children.

People are being relocated from uninhabitable homes to hotels, motels and holiday apartments.

Anglicare is fielding requests for mattresses from Machans Beach.

Hubs to help people to claim disaster support are being set up at Machans Beach State School from 8am on December 22 and at Trinity Bay State High School sports hall at Manunda from December 22 at 9am.

A house Oleander St in Holloways Beach has been largely destroyed by a fast moving torrent of water. on Picture: Peter Carruthers

“Staff have been at evacuation centres helping those who have been displaced by these floods, and QBuild crews are carrying out assessments of the damage to homes,” Ms Scanlon said.

She said Qbuild had done more than 400 rapid damage assessments to date and 440 accommodation places were currently available.

Vinnies Queensland chief executive David Monaghan said the service was expecting an influx of requests for housing help from early 2024.

“Our volunteer members in the region will be there to support the long-term recovery process however we can, from providing food, clothes, furniture and other essentials to support with housing and accommodation,” he said.

A Holloways Beach family has had their home all but gutted as they claim floodwaters caught them by surprise on Monday afternoon. Picture: Supplied

Mission Australia regional leader FNQ Dr Phil Flint said the main thrust of requests for hep was for emergency food relief rather than housing.

“Long after the flood waters subside, it will take a while and will need community-wide support to recover what has been lost,” he said.

Flatmates.com.au has launched a disaster relief page that has listings for properties with free rent, bill and bond for crisis accommodation for displaced people and for recovery workers.

It is also encouraging people to offer a spare room to those in need as a disaster relief listing.

Originally published as Flood ruined homes leave at least 80 families homeless for Christmas