‘Rescue to recovery’: Queensland flood focus turns to tourist towns
As authorities begin to plan for the next phase of the recovery, government assistance will soon be made available to businesses.
The new Minister for Tourism and Sport Michael Healy wants the Queensland state government to support the tourism industry as the focus shifts from rescue to recovery.
“We’ve gone from that rescue mode to start looking at recovery which is a positive step and we’re also looking at deploying significant assets,” Mr Healy said.
“Now it’s about looking at infrastructure and getting into communities, particularly north of Port Douglas, around Mossman and up to Wujal Wujal.”
Mr Healy said the Cairns region was a significant tourism asset for northern region and there needs to be government assistance.
“The Cairns region itself is a significant tourism destination, we get over two-million domestic tourists and internationally over 800,000 visitors each year,” he added.
“I’ve spoken to the treasurer, I’ve spoken to the premier about this... our expectation is that there will be packages made available, not just for the tourism operators but also for other commercial operators.”
The Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt has conceded he had “confidence” in the Bureau of Meteorology but their forecast was not “perfect.”
Earlier today, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) confirmed it would assist Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) in wake of the unprecedented deluge in the far north.
Minister Murray Watt told Sky News the weather system was unpredictable but the forecast from BOM was reliable.
“The Bureau did a fantastic job forecasting Cyclone Jasper, it was slow moving and very unpredictable, not a perfect science,” Mr Watt said.
“When it comes to the ADF, yesterday afternoon we actually first activated defence force personnel through HMAS Cairns, the Cairns navy base,” he added.
“We are definitely not out of the woods.”
He said if communities remain isolated in the coming days, “that would become an issue.”
The Queensland Ambulance Service said flooded roads made it difficult and posed “significant challenges” for workers to reach people who might need help.
Deputy Commissioner and Incident Controller Steve Zsombok said services have been stretched with high demand coinciding with school holidays.
“We’ve seen people on roofs isolated, people waiting to be rescued,” Steve Zsombok said.
“It’s not only the water but the infrastructure, the roads, the ability to access them is significantly challenging.”
Mr Zsombok said it was important for people to take care of themselves so paramedics had a better chance of responding to regular emergencies.
All north Queensland emergency departments remain open including Cairns, Tully, Innisfail, Babinda, Atherton, Mareeba, Mossman and Ingham.
The emergency department at the Wujal Wujal Primary Health Care Centre was closed after the town was evacuated.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has called for the evacuation of the entire aboriginal town of Wujal Wujal following record levels of rainfall.
Mr Miles described the rainfall as “next level” and said every resource was being allocated to help impacted communities.
“We remain very concerned about the communities of Wujal Wujal and Degarra, that group of people who were trapped on the roof of the hospital at Wujal Wujal have been able to safely move to another location.”
A child was among the people stranded on the hospital roof, where as much as two metres of rain fell overnight
Queensland Police State Disaster Coordinator Shane Chelepy said nine people, including a 7-year-old boy, were safely evacuated from the roof overnight.
Mr Miles said authorities were working to evacuate the entire Wujal Wujal community to Cooktown, which is around 300 people. “But it now appears likely that we will need to evacuate the entire town of Wujal Wujal and so agencies are working across government and across levels of government to work out how to do that, to safely get the entire community of Wujal Wujal to Cooktown and to the PCYC there.”
Department of Transport and Main Roads director-general Sally Stannard said major slips and flooding have closed all major state-controlled roads in FNQ.
Mr Miles said clean water was a concern for these communities, particularly in Cairns where they remain at a critical level.
BOM senior forecaster Laura Boekel said major flooding continues over the Daintree River, which peaked at 15 metres.
“It’s important to note that the forecast for the rest of the day is for showers and storms, so we could still see these showers producing large amounts of rainfall,” she said.
Senator Watt confirmed the Australian Defence Force personnel based in Cairns have been assisting the Far North Queensland community, at the request of the Queensland Government.
Thanks to Cairns-based ADF personnel who’ve been assisting flooded Far Nth Qlders, at request of Qld Govt. I’ve spoken with Qld Premier @StevenJMiles & ADF will also airlift extra @QldFES@QldPolice & other personnel to Cairns. The @AlboMP Govt stands by FNQ during these floods.
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) December 17, 2023
Queensland Police deputy commissioner Shane Chelepy applauded the AFD for providing their assistance to FNQ, confirming additional support is on the way.
“We have had great support out of the ADF. We have additional ADF resources coming in today. The ADF are assisting in bringing additional emergency services and critical staffing from Townsville today,” he said.
Mr Chelepy confirmed three additional rescue helicopters will make their way to Cairns today, with the Queensland government requesting the ADF provide “large capacity aerial support.”
BoM Senior Meteorologist Laura Boekel has updated the Bureau’s severe weather warning, confirming Cairns is no longer included in that severe weather warning as of 8am.
“Severe weather warning current for heavy and locally intense rainfall in the area north of Cairns, as of 8am that includes the towns of Port Douglas, Daintree Village, Wujal Wujal, Cooktown and Hope Vale,” she said.
In parts where there has been an easing of rain, she warned that showers and storms are still forecast, meaning, “we could see these showers producing large amounts of rainfall, so heavy showers and thunderstorms in those areas.”
Ms Boekel confirmed that within the warning areas, from Hope Vale to Port Douglas, 6-hourly totals of up to 300 millimeters are forecast, which could cause dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding.
She confirmed that another peak in rainfall is predicted for Daintree, as well as more major flooding for the Barron river, with a peak of 4.4m observed last night at Cairns Airport.
âš ï¸Latest Severe Weather Warning: Heavy, locally intense rainfall w dangerous & life-threatening flash flooding, occurring or possible north of Cairns, with 6-hourly rainfall totals up to 300 mm. #Port Douglas, #WujalWujal, #DaintreeVillage & #Cooktown. https://t.co/hgNTnkfwQ9pic.twitter.com/jiOW9sQixT
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 17, 2023
Crocodile spotted swimming in flood waters
A massive 2.5 metre saltwater crocodile was spotted swimming in flood waters in Palm Creek, south of Ingham on Sunday morning.
The creek burst its banks overnight after Ingham received more than 130mm of rain in one day.
Footage of the encounter shows crowds of locals surrounding the creek and watching the monster lizard in awe.
Director of Northern Wildlife Lindsay Delzoppo has confirmed a team of wildlife officers will attempt to remove the reptile from the creek.
“We will conduct an assessment and if possible use direct capture to capture the animal, Mr Delzoppo said.
He said officers can either use a noose loop over the top jaw of croc, or place a harpoon hook under its skin to pull it out.
“It’s not painful, they have very leathery skin.”
Far North Queensland is facing its most severe flooding event in five decades, with homes inundated and hundreds of rescue operations unfolding.
The region had been on high alert since the deluge, triggered by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, unleashed relentless torrential rain on much of the coast.
Homes across the region have been inundated with water, livestock has been swept away, and planes at Cairns airport are submerged, with the city of 150,000 people left with “critically low” levels of drinking water.
The State Emergency Service said more than 1000 requests for assistance were made in the past 24 hours, while QFES responded to more than 370 swiftwater callouts.
The deluge has continued in Far North Queensland and QFES crews have had their work cut out. The SES received more than 1,000 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours, while Fire and Rescue Service swiftwater firefighters responding to more than 370 callouts.
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) December 17, 2023
Our crews remain… pic.twitter.com/B6GKp4REwQ
The Barron River would reach a record-breaking peak near Cairns Airport, surpassing the previous high of 3.8m in March 1977.
The Daintree River at Daintree Village, which peaked at 14.85m at around 4am on Monday morning, 2.25 metres above 2019 flood levels, is expected to remain above major flood levels throughout the day.
Six hourly rainfall totals of 150 to 200mm are likely across the coast and six hourly totals of 300mm are possible between Hope Vale and Palm Cove, most likely coinciding with thunderstorms.
Severe weather warnings continues for the North Tropical Coast, Tablelands and Peninsula with a severe thunderstorm warning also issued for the Peninsula.
Major flood warnings remain for Herbert River, Daintree River and Mossman River, Barron River and Murray River as significant rainfall totals are recorded in under 24 hours from 9am Sunday to 4am this morning.
BoM meteorologist Sarah Scully said Cairns had already received its total annual rainfall of 2m since the beginning of this flooding event with rainfall totals exceeding the 1977 floods.
Severe thunderstorms are expected over the north tropical coast, and over the central Cape York Peninsula, bringing intense rainfall and severe weather to the coast, from Hope Vale to the south of Cairns.
She confirmed high tide is expected around 2pm which will exacerbate flooding in low-lying areas, however, she said rainfall is expected to ease by this afternoon, with only several showers along the coast.
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 holla despite the flood carnage unfolding around them.
Cairns airport closed
Christmas travel plans could be disrupted as flooding on the Cairns Airport aerodrome closed the runway indefinitely overnight.
The flooding itself has subsided, but the aftermath presents a new challenge with a massive clean-up mission underway.
Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said the flood levels were the highest recorded since 1910.
“This is the first time ever we had water come over the top of the levee,” Richard Barker told Sky News. “Given our proximity to the Barron River, there is significant debris that needs to be removed and cleaned.”
“We will then be in a position to assess our runway infrastructure, to determine its serviceability.”
It’s understood that domestic and international terminals, along with car parks, have not been affected by the deluge.
Mr Barker said water pumps were running since Sunday night, with 15,000 liters of water being filtered out every second.
“That’s a family swimming pool in three seconds, we’ve had those running all through the night and they’re still not keeping up with the volume of water that came in.”
All flights scheduled for today have been cancelled or delayed at the airport.
The State Emergency Service said more than 1,000 requests for assistance were made in the past 24 hours, while QFES responded to more than 370 swiftwater callouts.
PM offers up military assistance
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed military support for the floods innundating Cairns and Far North Queensland. “We will deliver, along with the Queensland government under Steven Miles, whatever is necessary,’’ Mr Albanese told the ABC’s AM program on Monday morning.
“The important thing at this point in time is to ensure that people are kept safe and that is a real concern, and a number of people are isolated and have needed rescuing from their terrible circumstances,” Mr Albanese said.
The Prime Minister said he was aware of the dangerous conditions facing residents, with flooding cutting off power and fresh water supplies dwindling.
“Our thoughts go out to all people in those communities at this very difficult time,” he said.
The Cairns Post reported homes being inundated at Holloways Beach in Cairns with more than 500 SES rescue missions carried out since late Saturday.
An emergency flood warning was issued for Yorkeys Knob, Holloways Beach and Machans Beach from the Cairns Regional Council.
“Council advises that widespread flooding is happening now at Yorkeys Knob, Holloways Beach and Machans Beach. Conditions are changing quickly and may become dangerous,” the warning said.
Mr Miles confirmed the flooding in Far North Queensland is unprecedented, saying Queenslanders are used to natural disasters but “this is the worst I’ve ever seen.”
“We have the Defence Force supporting us, HMAS Cairns has been working through the night,
“We are grateful for that support from the Army and the Navy, alongside our SES and everybody else who has been helping,” Premier Miles said on Seven.
When asked about what is being done to address the dwindling supplies of clean drinking water, the Premier urged residents to conserve what clean water they have left, before helicopters can safely rescue them.
“We are urging Cairns locals to conserve water right now while we can address the water supply issue there in Cairns.
“The situation in Cairns and across the whole region is such that the roads are blocked off and the clouds are so low, the rain is so heavy, we can’t get planes in so we need everyone to stay safe,” he said.
The Premier told ABC news that his most pressing concern is rescuing people trapped on roofs, once the rain eases. “The people who are trapped on roofs and have been there for a long time - we need to get them out.
“After that, we have concerns about drinking water, about sewerage, power and telecommunications, the roads, many of the roads are blocked and we can’t get aerial support in,” he said.
Deputy Premier and Treasurer Cameron Dick has assured Cairns and Far North Queensland residents that every resource is being used to tackle the floods, saying he can’t praise first responders “highly enough.”
Authorities are focusing on high priority areas including Cairns International Airport, Barron River, Machans Beach and Yorkeys Knob north of Cairns’ city centre.
“We have had record volumes of rain that we’ve probably never seen before in history, that is turning creeks into rivers, rivers into raging rapids, roads turn into rivers and we’re seeing whole towns either inundated or isolated,
“The problem today is that the rain is going to continue,” he said.
The Deputy Premier warned residents that flood waters are dangerous, saying you don’t know what is underneath the water and you can’t know the full volume of the floods in advance, urging them to listen to the authorities and to stay informed.
The Bureau of Meteorology said there was widespread flooding across several rivers, spanning from Douglas Shire in the north to Innisfail in the south.
Senior Meteorologist Dean Narramore said a “flood disaster” was unfolding.
“A concerning situation and almost a flood disaster is starting to unfold for parts of the north tropical coast, Mr Narramore said.
“Major flooding on the Barron River as well as the Mulgrave River, the Johnstone River, the Tully River, the Murray River and the Herbert River.”
More than 650 millimetres of rain fell since 9am on Saturday in the Barron River catchment, south of Port Douglas.
Senior forecaster for the Bureau Laura Boekel said the situation was quickly evolving but the main hazards include flash flooding and river flooding.
“Quite a few river systems and catchments are at major levels so seeing those water levels rise well over the major levels in some areas,” Laura Boekel said.
“Flooding can change very quickly and this is very much an evolving situation, so we’re really asking people to stay up to date with all of those warnings as they change.”
âš ï¸â›ˆï¸ A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for intense rainfall in the Cairns region, which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding. Locations include Cairns, Yarrabah and Redlynch. 146mm has fallen in under 3 hours at Myola. https://t.co/D3r5OHz0Ftpic.twitter.com/t4QctvNGH1
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 16, 2023
In response to the escalating situation, the state government extended disaster assistance funding to more areas.
Mr Miles said he was speaking with mayors from across the state about the “serious weather emergency”.
He told reporters there were significant concerns across a range of northern communities, with more than 10,000 people without electricity.
“The Cairns airport has just closed, it’s expected to see flooding that exceeds the 1977 flood level,” Premier Miles said.
“There’s heavy rainfall there at the moment and that’s expected to continue.”
Christmas travel plans could be disupted as flooding on the Cairns Airport aerodrome closed the runway indefinitely overnight.
The flooding itself has subsided, but the aftermath presents a new challenge with a massive clean-up mission underway.
Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said the flood levels were the highest recorded since 1910.
“This is the first time ever we had water come over the top of the levee,” Richard Barker told Sky News.
“Given our proximity to the Barron River, there is significant debris that needs to be removed and cleaned.”
“We will then be in a position to assess our runway infrastructure, to determine its serviceability.”
It’s understood that domestic and international terminals, along with car parks, have not been affected by the deluge.
Mr Barker said water pumps were running since Sunday night, with 15,000 liters of water being filtered out every second.
“That’s a family swimming pool in three seconds, we’ve had those running all through the night and they’re still not keeping up with the volume of water that came in.”
All flights scheduled for today have been cancelled or delayed at the airport.
The State Emergency Service said more than 1,000 requests for assistance were made in the past 24 hours, while QFES responded to more than 370 swiftwater callouts.
The deluge has continued in Far North Queensland and QFES crews have had their work cut out. The SES received more than 1,000 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours, while Fire and Rescue Service swiftwater firefighters responding to more than 370 callouts.
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) December 17, 2023
Our crews remain… pic.twitter.com/B6GKp4REwQ
Yarrabah residents can apply for the personal hardship assistance grants to cover costs of essentials like food, clothing and medicine.
Eligible homeowners can also apply for the essential services safety and reconnection scheme to help reconnect electricity, gas, water, and sewage.
The BOM have also issued a severe thunderstorm warning with heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail for parts of the Sunshine Coast, Gympie and Somerset.
This follows the tragic incident where a young girl was struck by lightning on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast as wild storms lashed the state’s southeast on Saturday.
The 10-year-old was struck outside her home at Beerwah, 85 kilometres north of Brisbane, around 2.30pm yesterday during a fierce electrical storm.
A man in his 60s was also struck by lightning on the Gold Coast and was in a stable condition in hospital.
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