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With the torrential rain and strong winds finally receding after days of relentless hammering the northern areas of Queensland, clean up efforts have slowly begun.
Cyclone Jasper has left disaster in its wake, with more than 30 communities remaining isolated due to the high levels of floodwater and the damage on the roads.
Cairns resident Janne Rytkonen says his property was heavily impacted by the flooding.
“Well we had water up to here, so 1,4 to 1,44 metres inside the house at the peak. And the peak came pretty quick, a couple of hours after the water started rising. And so everything, this is all our furniture here, our appliances, my two cars over there, everything went underwater completely.”
Meanwhile, residents in the far north Queensland town of Cooktown have welcomed people fleeing floodwaters in the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal.
Two Australian Defence Force Chinook helicopters have relocated around 200 people over two days after Wujal Wujal was devastated by flooding caused by the ex-tropical cyclone.
Kiley Hanslow is the Chief Executive of the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council.
“We need to look at where the available land is to build, higher and to build better to get people back as quickly as possible. We need to have the ADF coming. You need to get that commitment at the ADF is going to come in and clear the roads and clean up and help us to rebuild, have those engineers in there and the assessor's and help us to rebuild. We need that commitment.”
Authorities have confirmed more than 1,400 homes have been damaged and 3,500 are still without power in the region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to visit the communities of far north Queensland to inspect the area and speak to those affected by the floods.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has praised the work of recovery crews who have ensured that those impacted by the heavy rainfall get the help that they need.
“All businesses remain without power. Highways are slowly reopening, although some will take some time. Can I just say that I conveyed on behalf of Queenslanders to all the members of the Queensland disaster management committee their thanks for really working around the clock throughout this entire event.”
Recovery efforts continue across all areas of far north Queensland, with the Bureau of Meteorology saying river and creek levels in the area were expected to subside.
But as the waters give way, the scale of the disaster becomes apparent.
Farmers say they were forced to dump milk due to the effect of the cyclone to supply routes, while produce growers continue to be impacted by transport delays.
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt, who visited Cairns on Thursday, says it will take some time to rebuild.
“As each day goes by, we do see small signs of progress. This is going to be a long recovery effort. This has been a major national event. It's not going to be fixed overnight, but as I say, every single day you do see signs of progress. And I think the community is taking some heart from that as they work through some very difficult situations.”
The bill expected from this devastation is mounting.
Those without insurance coverage will be eligible for a $50,000 federal government grant to cover the cost of repairs.
That’s on top of emergency disaster payments that have already been made available.
So far claims for this support have been made by more than 3-thousand households.
Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Kevin Walsh says crews have already begun inspections.
“We've got our damage assessment teams in the field and they've conducted almost 2,500 damage assessments, which is really important information that will be provided to councils and state agencies so that we know where to prioritize our efforts.”
Mr Watt has called for the community to support those who are suffering in the aftermath of this disaster.
“This is a time that we all need to band together. Whether we're insured, uninsured. Whether we live in the northern beaches, whether we live in other parts of Australia. And I thank people from the rest of the country for chipping in donations and other things as well. But we'll stand with the far north Queensland communities as long as it takes to get them back up on their feet cause it's a bloody beautiful part of the world.”
And although the weather phenomenon seems to have moved on, meteorologists are warning locals not to get complacent.
Heavy floods are predicted for the town of Kowanyama on Cape York, with alerts already sent out to residents to prepare for the next couple of days.
