Degarra feels forgotten after it was hit by flooding after Cyclone Jasper

It is the tiny little rainforest town that locals say has been forgotten. Degarra’s 45 permanent inhabitants are still waiting for the ­return of power, water and sewage to their broken homes.

Bill and Michelle Dunn lost their house during massive flooding at Degarra on the Bloomfield River. Picture: Brian Cassey

It is the tiny little rainforest town that locals say has been forgotten in its moment of need.

Almost a month after raging waters swamped Degarra, nestled on the banks of the Bloomfield River in Cape York, its 45 permanent inhabitants are still clearing the tangle of debris, sleeping under tarps and waiting for the ­return of power, water and sewerage to their broken homes.

Australian Defence Force personnel, deployed last week at the request of the region’s mayors, have yet to appear and bureaucratic caution over insurance is being blamed for redirecting the arrival of caravans for temporary accommodation to a park a few hours’ walk away.

They are no cars left working in the cut-off community, which has had to rely on an old speedboat to make runs up the river to Cooktown in the past few weeks to get supplies. It is a situation that on Sunday brought Michelle Dunn, 58, to tears as she struggled with the enormity of the clean-up and ­rebuild that remains ahead of her and husband, Billy, 73.

“I can’t keep doing this anymore, it’s too hard,’’ she said.

“I didn’t expect any help, (but) I just need some help.’’

The couple, who have lived in the community for more than three decades, are lucky to be alive. Neighbour Ray Dark, 85, is missing and believed to have been swept to his death.

After almost 2m of rain fell in the wake of Cyclone Jasper, the river broke its banks and began rushing into their home in the dead of night on Sunday, December 17.

Mr Dunn said the flood waters rose a “a foot every 10 minutes,” forcing them to swim out of their kitchen window and, using sheets they had earlier cut and wound into a rope, he was able to tie ­himself to a tree as he clung on to his wife. With the waters rising above them and exhausted, they then decided to “say their goodbyes” and let themselves drift away into the torrent.

Miraculously, both were swept to another tree, and they managed to climb the branches and sit above the floodwaters for the next 10 hours until they were rescued by another local in a tinnie.

Since then, Mr Dunn said that locals, with some belated help in recent days from SES volunteers, have had to fend for themselves.

“It feels like we have been the forgotten town,’’ he said about the community where some of the 16 flooded homes were completely submerged by water.

“There have been helicopter visits and flyovers by politicians (including Queensland Premier Steven Miles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese) but we would have preferred they bring supplies and more help”.

The nearby Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal has been evacuated, with many of the homes knocked off their foundations by the deluge that smashed the region.

Michael Kerr, who is mayor of the Douglas Shire Council in which Degarra is located, said the residents “are at a breaking point”.

“We don’t want to point fingers here but we need the assistance that was promised for the residents,’’ he said.

“A month has passed since the disaster and it’s been seven days since the approvals were done and we have yet to see the assistance coming through. It’s crazy that we are able to provide disaster assistance to countries overseas within a couple of days yet our own residents are still waiting this long to get help.’’

A spokesman for state Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd said the Queensland Recovery Authority “continues to work closely with a number of communities in Douglas shire including Degarra”.

“There are a number of impacted communities. Temporary housing with connections to services such as water and sewerage is being placed to assist as many people as possible,’’ he said.

“The QRA has confirmed a number of funding options are available for councils to provide solutions such as transport from temporary accommodation while the QRA continues to investigate solutions for Degarra that overcome geography and weather.”