Homes under water, people stranded as Far North Queensland smashed by record flooding
A life-threatening weather crisis is hitting Far North Queensland, follow our blog for the latest updates
Some areas of flood-ravaged Far North Queensland have been hit with a third of their annual rainfall in a 24 hour period, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
As areas of the North Tropical Coast continue feeling the after-effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, widespread heavy downpours have inundated the region with flash flooding.
BOM reports a trough associated with Jasper produced more than 500mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am Monday in the Daintree, Mossman, and Barron catchments.
To put that in perspective, the Barron catchment on average receives 1442mm per year, with 500mm equating to about four months worth of rain in a 24 hour period,
The Mossman catchment gets 2109mm in the same time, according to Queensland government data.
“Subject to verification, some sites have recorded up to around 800mm,” reads an update on BOM Queensland’s X account.
ðŸŒ§ï¸ A trough associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper produced more than 500 mm of rainfall at sites in the North Tropical Coast over the past 24 hours to 9am, in the Daintree, Mossman and Barron catchments. Subject to verification, some sites have recorded up to around 800 mm. pic.twitter.com/EWg4vtVmfO
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 18, 2023
Authorities praise ‘extraordinary effort’ in floods
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has praised the heroic efforts of first responders and “Good Samaritans” across the state’s Far North to keep one another safe during the flooding crisis.
“We have seen incredible acts of bravery continuing today, with families saved from roof tops and locals lending a hand to look after their neighbours,” Mr Miles told reporters at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
“Many rescues have continued throughout today as they did last night.
“We’ve had reports of people using mustering choppers and fishing boats to rescue strangers or people they know around town. Everyone’s working incredibly hard.”
Even so, he said, significant rainfall has hampered efforts to get aircraft into some areas, including the remote Indigenous community of Wujal Wujal.
“Unfortunately the rain and cloud is still too strong. Another attempt is now planned for 8am tomorrow (Tuesday),” Mr Miles said. Residents will be transported to Cooktown when they are evacuated.
In the meantime, the Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled its severe weather warning, as rainfall eased and water levels dropped for most catchments. But the Premier said it was critical the public continues to listen for alerts.
BOM meteorologist Laura Boekel told reporters although the “very intense, very widespread rainfall” had eased, a thunderstorm warning is now likely.
“So while that widespread, very intense rainfall is moving on, there is still shower and storm activity in the area, which can still drop significant amount of rainfall, just not what we have been seeing in the past 24 hours,” she said.
There are major flood warnings for the Daintree and the Bloomfield River, and there are moderate warnings for the Barron and Tully rivers and minor for the Mulgrave.
Queensland Police Service Commissioner Katarina Carroll also praised the “extraordinary effort” of emergency services and members of the public to prevent any fatalities during the natural disaster.
Ms Carroll confirmed at a press conference on Monday the death of a 71-year-old man in Holloway’s Beach in Cairns on Sunday, but said he died due to a “medical episode”, not the flooding.
That said, she urged the public to remain vigilant, as concerns remain people will be “caught in flash flooding” – “As always, remember: if it’s flooded, forget it,” she said.
Authorities are planning to supply isolated communities with food, water and medical supplies – if weather allows – by first light on Tuesday.
Despite the lack of injuries or fatalities, there has been significant damage to property and power.
Queensland Energy Minister Mark de Brenni says power has been returned to about 90 per cent of the households and businesses impacted by Cyclone Jasper.
“Power has now gone out in 45 communities because of the heavy inundation. So that sees 13,190 new households and businesses without power because of the heavy rainfall,” Mr de Brenni said.
“We did plan to have power restored to all communities before the rain event started by the evening of Tuesday night. That expectation can no longer be met.”
Mr de Brenni said that could take “several additional days” and it was “difficult to put a time frame” on when power will be restored.
A clean-up is currently underway at Cairns Airport, with hopes it will be inspected and open by Tuesday morning, which would allow resources to be transported from Townsville.
Mr Miles also applauded technicians for getting the Cairns water treatment plant operating again, saying safe, clean water is now flowing to the Cairns CBD and hospital.
PM urges flood-affected people to get support
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued words of support to Queenslanders affected by the natural disaster unfolding in the Far North, and says the mass flooding and rainfall is “a reminder of the power of nature”.
Mr Albanese told ABC radio his “heart goes out” to locals inundated by waters, and says the disaster will undoubtedly leave people “traumatised” for some time.
“Many people will require support for some time,” he said.
“I’d encourage them to reach out for support, not just in terms of financial support, but this will have an impact on people’s mental health.”
Mr Albanese praised Queensland emergency authorities and the federal National Emergency Management Agency, as well as defence and local government workers.
First attempt to evacuate remote community suspended
Authorities are working to evacuate the entire town of Wujal Wujal, a remote Indigenous community located between the Daintree and Cooktown.
The first attempt to evacuate people from the flooded community was abandoned this afternoon due to a “big wall of water” that prevented helicopters’ access.
The Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council told residents at about 3pm on Monday to “hang in there”.
“Unfortunately the helicopters couldn’t get through, as there was a big wall of water and it was too dangerous,” the council told residents, according to The Guardian.
In an update on Monday afternoon, Queensland Premier Steven Miles said another attempt was planned for 8am on Tuesday.
Wujal Wujal Deputy Mayor Regan Kulka told the ABC that people walked to higher ground in the early hours of Monday morning after their homes went under overnight.
Cr Kulka said he swam from his home through crocodile-infested waters with his dog at midnight.
He said despite Wujal Wujal being “a pretty strong community” they needed “outside help”.
“There’s no on up here, we’re pretty much on our own. There’s no emergency department up here. The power’s off,” he said.
“We lost everything; photos, TV, electricity, white goods, clothes, food — all gone.”
Police find man deceased as floods cause chaos
A person’s body has been found in a coastal suburb of Cairns as the region is lashed with severe flooding.
A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman confirmed to The Cairns Post that police located the body of a 71-year-old man deceased at Holloway’s Beach, a northern suburb of Cairns, on Sunday night.
Details are unclear at this stage and police are in early stages of an investigation into the death, though, the spokeswoman said “it appears it is not flood related”.
It’s understood the person may have suffered a medical episode. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Entire town prepares to evacuate
An entire town is set to be evacuated as the flooding crisis in Far North Queensland worsens.
Wujal Wujal, a remote Indigenous community north of Port Douglas, has been completely cut off by rising flood waters caused by ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Nine locals, including a seven-year-old child, spent the night stranded on a hospital roof before being able to self-evacuate as floodwaters temporarily eased.
Authorities plan to evacuate the town, which has about 50 trapped residents, by air to nearby Cooktown before a dangerous looming high tide on Monday afternoon.
It comes as Cairns continues to battle devastating floods after being smashed by more than 600mm of rain in the past 40 hours, with a further 300mm tipped for Monday afternoon.
The popular holiday hotspot, considered the gateway to Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef, has turned into an “island” with 14,000 residents without electricity or drinking water.
Saltwater croc captured in floodwaters
A 2.8-metre saltwater crocodile has been captured in a flooded creek in Ingham, as residents watched on The Courier Mail reports.
Residents in the town watched on as a team of wildlife officers from the Department of Environment and Science arrived from Townsville on Monday morning to remove the animal from the flooded Palm Creek.
The team, led by seasoned croc catcher Tony Frisby, secured the croc in five minutes, The Courier Mail reports, by looping a noose over its top jaw.
After a few death rolls along the creek bank, Mr Frisby, two wildlife officers and two QPS officers secured the croc and placed it into a holding cage – where it will be transported to a holding facility and, later, a farm.
Emergency services working ‘around the clock’
The Queensland State Emergency Services are responding to around 40 requests for assistance each hour in the state’s ongoing flood crisis, the state’s Fire and Emergency Services have said.
“Our SES and FRS crews are working around the clock as ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper continues to dump huge amounts of rain over the far north,” QFES wrote on X.
It also shared a video of volunteers wading through flooded streets, pulling loaded boats through the waters, and of fast-flowing floodwaters. QFES said it was “just a sample of what crews are facing”.
Our SES and FRS crews are working around the clock as ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper continues to dump huge amounts of rain over the far north.
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) December 18, 2023
The SES has responded to an average of more than 40 requests for assistance per hour over the past 24 hours.
This vision is just a sample… pic.twitter.com/ULXgs5dzcF
Entire town to be evacuated
The Wujal Wujal Aboriginal shire council CEO, Kiley Hanslow, revealed the town’s only petrol station and council building were underwater.
“People are really scared. We work together though … So there’s about 50 people sheltering at my place across on the other side of the community,” she said.
“We got stuck on this side because we’re helping people to evacuate.”
Ms Hanslow also revealed the brown, dirty water in the town was crocodile-infested.
“There’s also crocodiles swimming around in the water now, because the crocs want to find the nice calm water rather than the rushing river water.”
Police confirmed they were waiting for a break in the weather to evacuate that entire community to Cooktown.
“We are expecting to see considerable rainfall in that area again today, so we’ll be looking at evacuating those people from Wujal Wujal up to Cooktown,” Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.
Cook Shore mayor Peter Scott warned things were not much better in his community.
“We can cater for them in Cooktown if they come in, we’ll open up our cyclone shelter,” he told ABC News.
“It can take up to 1000 people but having said that, we do not have bedding. We are on water restrictions and there are probably only about two or three days of food left in Cooktown.”
Mr Scott said Cooktown was relatively well positioned above the river and although it received a lot of rain, there was no real damage, but their water is restricted.
Crocs have also been spotted in the water in Ingham, 110 kilometres north of Townsville.
ABC reporter Chloe Chomicki shared footage of a huge croc lurking in a flooded drain in the middle of town.
Peak Aussie content here 🊠A big crocodile has been spotted in a swollen drain in the centre of Ingham, a North Queensland town currently cut off by floodwaters. Filmed by @abcnews reporter @ChloeChomicki, who is isolated like everyone else in town. pic.twitter.com/LSg5ODkpIF
— Siobhan Heanue (@siobhanheanue) December 17, 2023
Cairns battling worst floods in decades
Authorities have confirmed swathes of “isolated communities” remain stranded by floodwaters in a 250km area spanning from Cooktown in the north to Innisfail down south.
Airborne rescue and supply efforts have been grounded due to heavy rainfall and low clouds.
Queensland Police and Fire Service, in conjunction with the SES and the Cairns navy base HMAS Cairns, have so far rescued 300 people from communities including Yorkies Knob and Halloway Beach.
Authorities have confirmed there have been no deaths or serious injuries as a result of the flooding, though a number of entire communities are stranded.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll stated: “I must say, what we’ve seen over the last couple of days has been absolutely devastating.”
Three additional rescue helicopters are en route to Cairns, and emergency services have requested heavy lift capability aircraft – in particular chinooks – from the ADF.
Roads and rail systems are cut, but fallen trees and landslides with the state’s road authorities are still waiting to assess the extent of the clean-up.
Sally Stannard, Director-General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads, said all major state-controlled roads are closed.
She warned locals could expect “months of repair work to be done”.
Anthony Hamill from Ergon Energy also confirmed the provider had been forced to abandon a Tuesday evening target for power to be returned to some 14,000 affected homes, stating it “can no longer be achieved”.
He said the provider was unable to offer a renewed time frame.
Cairns runs out of drinking water
Cairns has “run out of processed water” after devastating flooding caused havoc in its water infrastructure system.
The mayor of Cairns, Terry James, confirmed the city’s treated water supplied in its reservoirs has been depleted.
A statement from the Shire Council published earlier this morning states: “There is very limited supply which may run out this morning if water cannot be restored to the treatment plant. Some suburbs in Cairns may already be without water due to damaged infrastructure.”
Those who still have access to water are urged to spare it for drinking and food preparation, personal hygiene or medical needs.
He said the blockages prevented water from being treated, and treated water supplies in reservoirs had now been depleted.
“Council has not turned water off, as many are reporting,” he said. “We have simply run out of processed water.
“This morning our crews navigated very challenging conditions and landslides and had to climb their way into Crystal Cascades to access and clear the debris from the intake to the treatment plant.
“Work to restore water supply is ongoing. We are hopeful of clearing the blockage today.”
The council said once services were restored, the water supply would remain limited until the reservoirs could be replenished.
“The co-operation of the Cairns community in conserving water during this challenging period is crucial,” Cr James added. “We do not want to see people outside hosing their driveways.”
The region has a series of interconnected reservoirs that can hold about 250ml, with its average daily use at about 65ml, meaning the reservoirs hold little more than four days’ supply when full.
A total depletion is expected to require residents to rely on bottled water or personal tanks.
‘Came within half an hour’: Dad’s horror flood battle
A Holloways Beach family has had their home all but gutted as they claim floodwaters caught them by surprise on Monday afternoon.
Kaliff Villaflor, owner of local excavation company Temex, told news.com.au he rushed to the aid of a disabled neighbour as his family home filled “up to the waist” with floodwater on Sunday afternoon.
More than 300 people have needed rescuing from Holloways Beach and nearby Machans Beach, Yorkeys Knob, since a Sunday afternoon flood event decimated the areas.
He estimates that over a hundred homes in the locality would have experienced the same.
Mr Villaflor said by Monday morning, the water had fully receded, but the coastal suburb was left looking like a “war zone”.
“It came within half an hour and just flash-flooded the whole place,” he said.
The only road in and out, Holloway Beach Rd, was “washed into the ocean”, Mr Villaflor recounted, with an SES ferry to Cairns currently the only way off Holloways Beach.
Mr Villaflor said many, including himself, are staying with their homes to salvage what they can – though there’s little the water didn’t touch.
“I’ve got my truck and excavator and Bulkhead here but they’re not starting, he explained.
“It just caught me by surprise; I knew it was a flood zone; the last flood in 1977 (previously thought to be the record) wasn’t even as bad as this – that’s coming from locals that have lived here for that long.”
He said assessing the extent of the damage would be a dizzying task, estimating millions, if not tens of millions of dollars in damage had been dealt at Holloways Beach alone.
“There’s a couple of houses that are fully sunken – the roads that have been ripped up, So I don’t know if we’re gonna be able to get in and out and what the go is,” he explained.
While he wasn’t aware of any significant injuries, Mr Villaflor said he was aware of numerous locals, including a pregnant woman, who were forced to spend some time on their rooves.
The immense debris left behind by the floodwater was also causing hazards for those who have chosen to stay and salvage.
“There’s a lot of people that are walking in their bare feet and cutting their feet now they’re probably getting infected – heaps of sh*t like that.”
His mother, Sharon Muir, has launched a fundraiser for him, his partner Caitlin and their young daughter Millie, who were fortunately visiting family in Bundaberg when the flooding struck.
Mr Villaflor said he plans to spend the next few days salvaging what he could for his partner and young daughter.
“I just want to get all the clothes and important stuff – Just get it into the car – get out when we can because I don’t think the power and water is going to be back on for a while,” he said.
Extraordinary images emerge as city floods
Not even record-breaking floodwaters could keep a bunch of Far North Queenslanders from their local watering hole.
Hotel Euramo, a small country pub near the banks of the Tully River, 155km south of Cairns, rebranded itself the “Euramo Yacht Club” on Sunday night.
Extraordinary footage shared by the hotel shows dozens of patrons braving floodwaters in their dinghies to get a beer.
One clip shows a dozen boats moored to the pub’s patio as the cheery patrons hoot and holler despite the flood carnage unfolding around them.
The footage hit a chord online.
“Gotta love us FNQueenslanders,” one wrote. “Definitely know how to surf a storm – well done,” added a second.
“FNQ best place to be! The true Aussie spirit,” declared another.
Extraordinary footage also emerged from the region’s iconic Din Din Waterfalls, highlighting the vast volume of water that was unloaded on the Cairns area on Sunday.
The footage shared on X by local journalism student Paul Webster shows an immense cascade over the ledge of the rocky falls.
“Six-feet in the catchment, and it’s all heading to Cairns,” Mr Webster is heard stating in the video, understood to have been shot on Sunday.
Hard to capture the volume of water on video but walking in I could feel the ground shaking amidst a deafening roar. An unprecedented 6ft of rain fell on the catchment over the past few days. #cairnsfloodpic.twitter.com/xrR56HaAwm
— Paul Webster (@Cassowary_Man) December 17, 2023
Mr Webster took to X to describe the scene.
“Hard to capture the volume of water on video, but walking in, I could feel the ground shaking amidst a deafening roar,” he wrote.
“An unprecedented 6ft of rain fell on the catchment over the past few days.”
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