Recovery continues one year on from Cyclone Debbie
Recovery continues one year on from Cyclone Debbie
28 March 2018
Major Bryce Davies with one of the 80 boats destroyed in Shute Harbour, near Airlie Beach, during Cyclone Debbie.
One year ago today, Tropical Cyclone Debbie made landfall in Far North Queensland, bringing ferocious winds of up to 260km/h and floods that left a trail of destruction from Bowen down to Lismore in Northern NSW.
Bowen, Airlie Beach and the surrounding areas and islands, were hardest hit. House roofs were ripped off, trees were uprooted, power lines came down, buildings were flooded and infrastructure was extensively damaged.
Bowen Corps Leaders, Envoys Stuart and Heidi Grice, experienced the roaring winds and driving rain of the cyclone, and, with their teams, played a key role in the immediate emergency response and ongoing recovery work.
“The Salvation Army through the Strategic Disaster Management team, is still providing substantial support to some people to make sure their homes are made safe and liveable,” said Envoy Stuart.
Envoys Stuart and Heidi Grice finished cleaning up the extensively damaged Family Store before builders came in for repairs.
“For the most part today, almost everything looks like it’s back to normal. There is still a lot of work going on behind the scenes, though, and still much to do on some of the council properties. The Police Citizen Youth Clubs (PCYC), in the region are still closed for repairs, and will be for a while.
“Some people are still getting repairs done to their roofs. Just imagine how they’ve been coping for 12 months with a tarp over their heads?
“There is a sense that everything is getting back on track. I don’t think it will ever get back to 100 per cent of how it was before – things have changed. Some properties were demolished due to extensive damage and something different will replace them.”
Envoy Stuart explained that one of the biggest difficulties for people is the shortage of tradespeople and the subsequent delays in getting repairs done. Some people are also still battling with insurance companies to get repairs on their homes completed.
The recent memories of Cyclone Debbie, and the possibilities of potential cyclones developing over the last few weeks, has had an impact on the local population.
“Most people have been a bit on edge, thinking it could all happen again so soon after Debbie,” said Stuart. “Knowing the storm season hasn’t passed has hit a raw nerve, despite the resilience of northern Queenslanders.”
Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays was badly damaged and is still recovering.
Envoy Stuart said that, if he had to go through it all again, he would respond differently – although he hopes he won’t get the opportunity!
“There are certain things I would do differently, given the experience and knowledge I now have,” he said. “I would be better prepared and equipped. And with our Salvation Army emergency response teams – every time we are called out we are getting more prepared as well, to serve and witness in the future.
“Please continue to pray for all those affected by Cyclone Debbie, and for those who are and will be affected by disasters in the future. Our country is not immune to natural disasters as we’ve seen recently – and recovery is not a quick fix. This can take months, and years.”
Mackay
The city of Mackay, 200km south of Bowen, also sustained major damage, as well as flash flooding and stock loss on outlying properties.
Today, rebuilding, and recovery, continues.
“We are still working with community members in Mackay and surrounding areas who are either experiencing ongoing trauma or only just finding out about available assistance,” said Jennifer Stokes, Cyclone Debbie Recovery Support Worker in Mackay, North Queensland.
“I am still working on Rebuild Grants for community members whose homes were damaged and were either uninsured or rejected due to pre-existing damage.
Kodie was delighted with his new Polaris buggy.
“Ongoing assistance may be replacement of a fridge that has just given up the ghost from damage sustained in Cyclone Debbie to a Polaris buggy we replaced for Kodie, young farm man who has cerebral palsy and couldn’t help his parents upkeep the property and livestock unless he had this specially modified vehicle.”
Jennifer also shared that one of the Rebuild Grants was made available to an elderly couple in their 80s, just before Christmas last year, due to insurance not covering repairs to their roof because of pre-existing damage.
The husband had a severe heart condition and the wife explained that they had used all their remaining funds – saved for her husband’s funeral – to repair the roof.
The grant covered the cost of repairs and the extremely grateful couple said that the only way the family was able to share Christmas together was due to the generosity of The Salvation Army.
This Friday, Others online will be reporting on the recovery process still underway in the Northern NSW town of Lismore.
Comments
I am doing a assignment so I have to read this
Haha this is horrifying and i hope nothing like this ever hapens to me and that everyone will be ok i am also doing this for a school project haha
@Garry: same here