Break in rain lifts the gloom for survivors of Cyclone Yasi

The gloom in north Queensland is finally easing, with a break in the torrential rain

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The gloom in north Queensland is finally easing, with a break in the torrential rain that has heaped frustration on the misery unleashed by Cyclone Yasi five weeks ago.

Queensland's Bureau of Meteorology says a low pressure system responsible for deluging the devastated Cassowary Coast, south of Cairns, has weakened.

The remnant of the system is drifting inland, but retains enough punch to activate storm warnings for northwest Queensland's gulf country.

The reprieve could not come soon enough for communities confronting renewed flooding, submerged roads, depleted supermarket shelves and growing frustration with delays in addressing the damage caused by the cyclone on February 3.

The fighting spirit that emerged in hard-hit towns such as Tully Heads has been tested by a north Queensland wet season like no other in living memory.

Emergency housing set up in Tully Heads was in danger of being flooded, as the rain continued to tumble down, and in nearby Cardwell homes that escaped serious damage in the cyclone have been inundated.

Tully Heads resident Debbie McPherson said the constant rain and isolation caused by flood-induced road closures were testing everyone.

"A lot of people don't seem to realise just how devastating it has been for this area," she said. "Everybody's spirits are low at the moment because it has been five weeks and there is still just so much to do."

The rain has hardly stopped for a month, with volumes being measured in metres rather than standard millimetres.

Since Cyclone Yasi, the region has been hit by a succession of pre-cyclonic low pressure systems from the Coral Sea and a strong monsoonal trough.

The battered hamlet of South Mission Beach has recorded 778mm of rain in the past week.

With tempers fraying, Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill Shannon last week appealed to locals not to take their frustration out on council and SES crews. This followed reports that emergency workers were being abused, causing some volunteers to quit.

Senior weather bureau's forecaster Ben Annells said locals could at last breathe a sigh of relief, with the rain easing and floods receding.

"There is light patchy rain but we're not expecting any more heavy falls," Mr Annells said.

"Flood levels are now minor and will continue to fall."

However, there are indications of another rain-bearing trough forming in the Coral Sea, and with the cyclone season due to run to the end of the month, the locals are wary of more wild weather.

Emergency Management Queensland said the SES was committing additional crews to the Cassowary Coast to reduce a backlog of jobs, many of them involving damaged homes.

The state government yesterday extended disaster assistance to northwestern shires.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP