Holloways Beach community rallies to clean, repair and rebuild after weekend of wet destruction

Far North Queensland residents could only watch as torrents of water ambushed them, devouring their properties in minutes. Now the community has rallied to rebuild, bringing tears to residents’ eyes.

The stinging Far North sun returned on Wednesday to bake the mud-caked earth surrounding northern beaches properties just days after they were decimation by record flooding.

By 9am, Holloways Beach homes, awashed in filth, turned to saunas.

It appeared as though some houses had been shaken like snowglobes; their interiors obliterated, contents carpeting the floors.

Residents of Mimosa St were carting their soggy possessions to the sidewalk.

Kerry Tress was already drenched in sweat, moving her sodden furniture from her home with her floor covered in a patina of mud.

When a busload of volunteers from Cairns Brothers Leagues Club arrived to assist the street, tears welled in Ms Tress’ eyes.

“The community has been amazing,” her husband, Chris Tress, said.

Chris Tress sits on his upturned refrigerator with his dog Peggy in his kitchen that was flooded in Mimosa Street, Holloways Beach. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We saw the water rising against our back fence, then we turned around and saw it rushing in from the street.”

Mr Tress, who had earlier pulled a four-foot eel out of his driveway, estimated life wouldn’t return to normal for at least six months, after insurance processes and repair efforts had been completed.

“Probably longer,” Ms Tress said.

Across the road, Mellisa Trommestad, who owns her own housekeeping business, was cleaning the remnants of her possessions that could be salvaged.

Mellissa Trommestad stands in her flooded home at Holloways Beach. She had moved as many of her possessions as possible onto her kitchen bench, the highest point of her lowset home. Picture: Brendan Radke

She had only moved into her rental 12 months prior, and now a mountain of objects had been piled by her gutter, awaiting disposal.

What could be saved was stacked atop her kitchen bench.

“The water rose an inch per second,” she said.

“It rolled in at a walking pace, with an attitude of ‘no-one is stopping me’.”

About 72 hours earlier, Ms Trommestad was wading through the rushing water to get to her neighbour’s property, where a dozen people, and a dozen animals, had convened on the second storey deck to escape the flood.

Jake Westmore, 11, and Maliq Wray, 11, of the Brothers Leagues Club help clean up a property that was flooded in Mimosa Street, Holloways Beach. Picture: Brendan Radke

She could only watch as the water engulfed her home.

After the waters receded, a perfect but filthy line ran horizontally above her floors, about half Ms Trommestad’s height.

“The water lifted the fridge and jammed it against the kitchen bench. That’s how powerful it was,” she said.

“I’m mostly worried about my car — that’s my livelihood. Right now I’m not working, so I’m not getting paid.”

Half a dozen Brothers’ boys and girls, some as young as eleven, had already started moving out the broken items from her house and backyard.

The beachside suburb suffered widespread flooding this week when heavy rain from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused the Barron River to breach its banks. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Trommestad said she felt overwhelmed by the support that had arrived on her doorstep.

“The boys have found a box of photos on a top shelf in my shed and it was dry. I was so grateful. Everything underneath it was wet,” she said.

Jason Salecich, group general manager at Brothers, led the 20-strong Brothers volunteer army on Wednesday morning.

Members of the Brothers League Club co-ordinatd a volunteer clean-up day at Holloways Beach. Jason Salecich managed the team and cooked a barbecue for all of the residents of Mimosa Street. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We’re a community club, that’s what we do,” Mr Salecich said.

“The easiest thing we could have done was write a cheque. But these people need boots on the ground, so I made the decision that’s what we needed to do.

“We’ve got young kids here, what a great experience for them learning what it means to contribute to the community.”

Rob Wellington stands in his muddied Holloways Beach apartment. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Salecich said awful circumstances had be fallen the houses the group worked through on Wednesday.

“It can’t be described as anything other than devastation,” he said.

“The first house we walked into, sewage was across the floors. These people have been to hell and back.

“They need people to physically come and help.

“You can see some of them are feeling beaten and defeated, so to see us turn up today I think has really helped them.”

Originally published as Holloways Beach community rallies to clean, repair and rebuild after weekend of wet destruction