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A year after what has been described as a “one in a 100-year event” hit Australia, many people were still suffering and continued to struggle with insurance assessments, according to a Mackay official.
March 28 last year, category-four cyclone Debbie lashed across parts of northern Queensland, driving more than 20,000 residents away from their homes, as waves of more than eight metres high were posted, and about 400 to 800mm of rain fell over the course of three days.
This week, Amanda Camm, Mackay regional council deputy mayor and member of the local disaster management group, urged insurers to help as the region continues to struggle to recover from Debbie “in the midst of another storm season,” Daily Mercury reported.
Camm said communications crashed in many areas during Cyclone Debbie, and the council was now working to enhance the system, especially for natural disaster events, with the help of other stakeholders.
"We've created more liaison officers and people in the community who we'll (provide) with skills and resources that would enable them to communicate with us if needed,” Camm told the publication. “It's something we're still developing. We don't have all the answers, so we're engaging with SES and other crews on how to improve. We're not alone this – all regional places in Queensland have this challenge.”
Also significantly impacted by Cyclone Debbie was the Sarina Range Community, where a major landslide caused the destruction of a large section of the still-closed range road.
"I think we can't understate the (impact) of that road closure and how it has absolutely changed the lives of the people that live there,” Camm said.
The Mackay official said the “complete destruction” of the road closure “has absolutely changed the lives of the people that live there,” who now had to travel 1.5 hours, instead of 20 minutes, to reach Sarina, affecting their "hip pockets and their mental health.”
"And that impact is going to last for at least this year, and potentially even further,” Camm told Daily Mercury. "But what it has also done is built resilience and community connection and a greater appreciation for that community and for the people who are leaders.”
Karen May, Mackay councillor and part of the Disaster Management Committee, said people become anxious and “are a bit more on edge” after major disasters such as Debbie, and that “people take time to recover.”
To help locals get back on their feet, a community development officer has been posted in Eton, the Koumala Range region, and Midge Point. Financial counselling was also available at the George St Neighbourhood Centre, the report said.
"We're still working with the state government about the funding for the restoration of Midge Point and Lamberts Beach, which were two of our most severely affected areas,” May said. "We have local roads which still need some attention.”
Meanwhile, some residents continued to “grapple” with insurers, and many were still waiting for repair work to be completed, May told Daily Mercury.
