Cairns throws its support behind badly flooded Degarra

A resident of a Far North community hard hit by floods has welcomed help as Cairns locals and businesses throw their support into a push to make homes liveable again.

The prospect of more rain has not stopped a determined Cairns crew from making a convoy trip to Degarra with clean up equipment.

The Holloways Hub volunteer donation crew, with Whitfield resident Geena Court, who said she had spearheaded the campaign and sought help from Holloways volunteers, have made several trips to the remote Bloomfield River community with supplies donated by Far North businesses and families.

Ms Court and other volunteers were busy loading vehicles and trailers with wheelbarrows, shovels, hammers, axes, cleaning gear and mosquito coils on Friday.

Lorna Rope and Geene Court from the Holloways Hub volunteer crew load up supplies to take to Degarra. Picture: Bronwyn Farr

“I initially went up with things for Billy and Michelle Dunn, but then saw nobody had anything,” Ms Court said.

“People were so pleased to have a wheelbarrow to get the mud out of their houses, the clean up has really just started.”

Degarra resident Michelle Dunn said when power was eventually restored, tradesmen would be needed.

“We will need help to rebuild, boots on the ground,” she said.

Degarra resident Bill Dunn and his wife Michelle survived the flood by clinging to a tree. Picture: Supplied

“There’s not going to be any power going to my home for a long time, we were decimated.

“We are of the river, we know the river, we know the sea and we had no clue this was going to happen.

“We were up the top of our house with a roast dinner, the beds made, we put the dogs upstairs, and 15 minutes later I had to leave my animals and go out a window.

“We looked at each other and we even said goodbye,” Mrs Dunn said.

She said the couple spent from 9.30pm to 7.30am on December 17 clinging to a tree.

“We didn’t have a rope, I had really nice linen sheets and we ripped them up to tie ourselves to something – they are still in the tree right now, and I don’t even know how we ended up in that tree, we tried to hold on to a couple of trees.”

The home of much-loved resident Ray Dark, 85, before the floods at Degarra. Mr Dark is missing. Picture: Supplied

She said the close-knit community would build back better than ever.

“There’s no comeback from this, we are going to have a whole new Degarra, we are going to be reborn, it’ll be great, it’ll be fine,” Mrs Dunn said.

Holloways Hub volunteer crew put a call out for items including battery powered tools, eskiers, tarps, citronella, kerosone and disinfectant.

Three of the hub coordinators were part of the convoy.

State MP for Cook Cynthia Lui said Degarra was only accessible for essential workers via the road from Wujal Wujal with wet weather potentially delaying progress.

She said power had been restored to a small number of properties and QFES had begun washouts of homes during the week.

All that is left of the home of missing community member Ray Dark at Degarra. Picture: Bronwyn Farr

“Additional disaster relief staff arrived in Degarra this week to scope the set-up of another team,” Ms Lui said.

The community has bottled water, water trucks, and portable showers and toilets.

The Queensland Reconstruction Authority said five homes in Degarra had been destroyed and one home in Diwan had been destroyed.

The community hall at Wujal Wujal was also destroyed.

Originally published as Cairns throws its support behind badly flooded Degarra