Live coverage: DOUGLAS SHIRE UNITES: Random acts of kindness and unwavering compassion shines beacon on unbreakable community spirit
RESILIENCE
2.46PM: Steve Doble successful in selfless mission to deliver fuel, supplies to Cow Bay
Port Douglas resident Steve Doble has just returned to Douglas after a personal, determined mission to deliver fuel and supplies to Daintree residents. Just moments ago Steve told Newsport he was able to personally deliver 59 jerry cans worth of unleaded fuel. Steve was met as Cow Bay by Brooke Nikora, two Police officers and excited locals.
In further goodwill the legends at Port Seafood donated fish fillets to Cape Trib locals while the team at Ray White passed on three cartons of beer that were also able to be delivered to Daintee residents just a short time ago.
"The locals were speechless and just so excited to receive fuel and other items," Steve told Newsport just seconds ago.
"It was really rewarding to be able to do something to help the Daintree community."
Steve left Port early this morning for Cow Bay and arrived back to Port Douglas just minutes ago.
Great effort Steve!
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2.34PM: Douglas Shire toy appeal
A host of Douglas Shire residents have taken the chance to donate or offer toys to a local toy drive in order for Douglas Shire children to still enjoy the Xmas spirit. You can get involved or learn more by clicking here
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2.30PM: Port Douglas water delays
As Newsport revealed earlier, Port Douglas residents' wait for fresh drinking water continues with Council again extending the timeframe it expects water to be available to local residents.
Council has now extended the timeframe to another 24-48 hours meaning water out of the tap might not be genuinely accessible until sometime on Saturday.
"We estimate water will be restored to Port Douglas in the next 24-48 hours - dependent on a reduction in water use within the network," a statement read a short time ago.
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10.29AM: Water truck providing fresh water - COME GET YOURS!
A Newsport reader has advised us there is a water truck right now currently providing fresh water to Douglas Shire community members at the Port Douglas Neighbourhood Centre.
Bring your own containers and fill them with FRESH WATER!
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9.03AM: Newsport daily alert newsletter
Not able to follow Newsport's live flood coverage all day? not to worry, to make sure you don't miss a thing, be sure to subscribe to our daily email alert, full of all of today's stories by visiting our Newsport homepage.
From there, go to the top right hand corner of the homepage and click the square icon with the pen inside. Then simply put your name in and email address and you're all set to go. You'll then be added to our daily subscriber list.
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8.58AM: Newsport opens up community business hours/ listings page
For the next month Newsport is opening its free community notices page to businesses wanting to communicate opening hours to residents and tourists. Businesses can easily load details themselves by clicking this link and updating your relevant information.
Click here for further information: https://www.newsport.com.au/jobs-notices/community-notices
Listings will stay live for 14 days.
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8.49AM: Locals band together to ensure Douglas Shire kids don't go without this Christmas
Some kind hearted Douglas Shire locals have joined together to ensure children in the Douglas Shire don’t go without this Christmas.
Amy Jeffery and the Jacks’ have created a Facebook page where locals and others can go to donate childrens’ toys or gifts so Douglas Shire kids can still enjoy the spirit of Christmas in 2023. Newsport understands Mossman Anglican Church is the drop off point for any toy donations.
Locals can drop off toys from 9am-5pm today, with collection for affected families from 12-4pm tomorrow.
To get involved or to donate please visit here
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7.46AM: Newsport reader provides link to 1934 Douglas Shire cyclone
For those curious a Newsport reader has provided a link to another major weather event that took place at Cape Trib and the Douglas Shire back in 1934.
https://hardenup.org/be-aware/weather-events/events/1930-1939/cyclone-(1934-03-12).aspx
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7.28AM: Community hub to open in Wonga Beach to assist with financial flood assistance packages
A community hub will be set up today in Wonga Beach to help locals gain financial assistance in the wake of the recent cyclone and flood developments. Those interested can visit www.qld.gov.au/DisasterHelp for more or call 1800173349.
The hub, for all Douglas Shire residents, will be located at Wonga Beach State School 48/74 Snapper Island Dr, from 9am to 4pm today.
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7.04AM: Port Douglas water
Port Douglas residents are expected to have their water back today, with Council saying a few days ago they can expect to have water by mid morning today. However Newsport understands this might not occur until this afternoon.
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6.58AM: Port to Cairns, via Mt Molloy, Julatten inland road to be accessible tomorrow
Newsport understands the inland road from Port to Cairns will be accessible to traffic from tomorrow.One local Port Douglas transfer company is running Port Douglas to Cairns airport transfers from tomorrow.
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6.50AM: Daintree residents implore Prime Minister and Federal government for assistance
Daintee residents have collectively joined together to encourage Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to assist with many different facets of the area's response in relation to the impacts caused by cyclone Jasper and recent flooding. These issues include:
1. Needing defence level practical support right now.
2. Needing to know that individual disaster payments and grants etc are addressing our short-term as well as mid to long term needs.
3. As a business owner and employer we need to know that there will be real, tangible support to sustain us and our workers while we have no prospect of income.
Mr Albanese and new QLD Premier Steven Miles are due to visit the Douglas Shire and Far North tomorrow (Friday).
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6.44AM: Deeper insights into Daintree issues
A Newsport reader in the Daintree has provided a clear picture of the devastation caused by Jasper and the recent rains. In the correspondence the reader revealed:
- The summary of yesterday's aerial inspection: this is the worst damage to roads ever seen in the Douglas Shire!
- Engineers should be across the ferry tomorrow morning to do a site inspection of Alexandra Range - preliminary advice is that the status is not good - the subsidence may take days to work around and clear before a full assessment can be undertaken. Hopefully a single lane can be opened all the way to Cow Bay within days bearing in mind we have a festive season looming. Be prepared for a slow process and once open, traffic delays akin to when they did the section north of the “boob” wall but with multiple traffic controls.
- Once Alexandra Range is opened crews can head to Noahs Bridge and assess its stability - it's still standing but lost its surface. Hopefully that’s all.
- Noah Range - engineers will chopper here in a couple of days to do an on the ground inspection. The aerial inspection was not promising with large boulders observed which will complicate the process. Starting remediation will be dependent on other sections being open for large equipment to reach here. Advice (yesteday) evening is that we should expect several weeks of closure.
- Bloomfield Track - the aerial inspection revealed several sections blocked with landslides - this is unlikely to be opened for months, though Wujal/Cook could tackle this from their end.
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6.38AM: Douglas Shire power outages latest
As it stands 323 Ergon Energy customers across the Douglas Shire remain without power following the impacts of both ex Tropical cyclone Jasper, and the following major flood event. Those still without power in the Shire include residents in the Daintree, Finlayvale, Forest Creek, Mossman, Whyanbeel and Wonga Beach.
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6.35AM: Daintree resident Lawrence Mason comment piece
Cape Tribulation has been lucky. Nobody died, and most buildings survived intact. The big issue is isolation, but we have lots of food, in resorts, and in the two shops. Comms are back today and we can all call out and access internet.
But for how long? Some of us have two weeks of fuel, some have less. Critically, Pk's has maybe four days, and they supply power to the phone tower. So in 4 days we will be again in a self made faraday cage. And while we can potificate about drums of fuel in boats, and deliveries via helicopter, the simple way to get fuel here is open the road.
The first ferry run should have on it a 30 ton excavator and maybe a dozer. Lets minimize the 'inspections' of the ferry to critical safety items only, and get machines across the river as soon as we can.
Open the road you solve 99% of problems, with immediate effect.
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6.30AM: Degarra residents plea for immediate assistance
Newsport has received correspondence from a Degarra resident who knows urgent assistance. The message sent to us is below. Can anyone assist? let me know and I'll put you in contact.
The message reads:
I live in the most northern part of the Douglas shire in Degarra. The flooding here on Sunday night has had a devastating impact.
It went well over my 2 story home leaving over half a metre of mud inside my home and completely changing the landscape. We are isolated up here other than by boat to Ayton across the Bloomfield River. Our phone service cuts out leaving friends and family worried for our safety when they can’t reach us. We desperately need fuel here.
I personally also need a generator and fuel to run it so I can make a start on the mammoth job of clean up.
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6.20AM: Tourist drives Mossman, Mt Molloy rd from Port Douglas to Cairns
A tourist says the Mossman Mt Molloy rd via Julatten is drivable after travelling on it yesterday. In a letter to Newsport sent yesterday evening the writer said:
Hi Michael, I wanted to let you know, in case it is of interest to others, that we were able to drive from Port to Cairns today, via Julatten, Mareeba and Kuranda.
The clean-up crews were still at it, and there is a lot of serious damage even right into Cairns, and only one lane in places, there is also about 15cm of water over the road at one point, but the full route is now passable in a 2WD vehicle.
We've appreciated all the information from your website and FB page, as visitors it has been a lifeline. Good luck with the clean up, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Despite this QLD's live traffic website as of 6.26AM this morning still says this road remains closed to all traffic, with only emergency crews and re-supply cars formally permitted to drive it at the moment.
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6.18AM: Daintree Ferry open today
The Daintree Ferry will re-open today, but only to locals. Douglas Shire residents can access the Ferry today between 2pm-6pm.
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6.05AM: Further Daintree latest and developments
Newsport can reveal further developments out of the Daintree. As it stands some of the main focuses of recovery will be attending to the Noah Range landslide area, Noah's bridge stability and the Alexandra Range rd - the road is in a poor state and will need further repair, replacement, rebuilding works.
Another local talking point is the need for residents to attain their medication. This medication has been coming over on choppers thanks to the assistance of Mossman Pharmacy.
Less mobile locals are also talking about the possibility of receiving telehealth health advice.
As also mentioned by Newsport, fuel is a huge issue in the Daintree. Well known Daintree venue PKs needs diesel to run the phone tower, and requires around 350L to run its resort, and power up batteries.
Ocean Safari received and delivered some fuel back into the Daintree community last night.
Also, access to food supplies remains crucial. Newsport understands ther are limited food supplies that remain at both IGA Friendly Grocers and Mason's Store, there's also an ongoing need for toilet products, like toilet paper to be distributed throughout the Daintree.
There's already discussion in the Daintree about the future of the region. Major talking points within the community include future access to schooling, both primary and seniors, distribution of outgoing produce from the Daintree, the future of tourism in the area, locals future livelihoods, and how are locals going to sustain their economy and community.
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5.49AM: Daintree latest - Huge amounts of supplies, fuel to be delivered into Daintree this morning, throughout the day
Newsport can confirm a number of choppers, with Police and ADF personnel aboard, will deliver a staggering 5000 litres of fuel into the Daintree today and tomorrow. As it stands 20x44 gallon drums of diesel, or 4000 litres of fuel will be airlifted into Cape Tribulation.
The Choppers will also bring over medication, food stocks and water.
Another 5x44 gallon drums of unleaded, or 1000 litres of fuel will also be taken to the Daintree.
In a completely seperate mission, Port Douglas resident Steve Doble will leave Douglas in a matter of hours, in his own boat, to personally deliver 43-50 gerry cans worth of unleaded fuel. He's expected to arrive at Thornton's Beach around mid morning or near lunchtime.
Once he arrives a number of Daintree locals will assist in distributing the gerry cans of fuel to those who urgently need it right across Cape Tribulation.
Just hours ago Police did a walk through of Forest Creek in the Daintree to check on local residents and to identify any medication locals need flown over from Port Douglas.
Yesteday proved a wonderful day for the Daintree with many locals, including the legends at Ocean Safari assisting to ensure Daintree residents received a number of supplies.
As it stands, yesterday Ocean Safari led by Brooke Nikora transported 14 passengers from Cow Bay to Port Douglas, and two passengers back from Douglas to Cow Bay and Diwan.
Ocean Safari staff also picked up donated food and supplies from the legends at Port Douglas Neighbourhood Centre - food, meat items donated by Mossman Meat House and fuel gerrys donated by Port Douglas community centre.
The legends at Simon George and Sons, who arrived in Port from Mossman, via a vessel, also donated fruit and vegetables into the Douglas Shire. Some of those fruit and vegetables were then distributed to the Ocean Safari team, who then took all of the fruit and vegetables back to Cape Tribulation with them to distribute to the local Daintree community.
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5.41AM: Good Morning, welcome to Thursday, I'm Newsport editor Michael Warren and thanks for joining our non stop coverage of the flood disaster that continues to unfold in the Douglas Shire.
Be sure to stay tuned right here for updates, and all the latest news about this major event right throughout the day.
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