NEWSPORT NEWSFEED: The long road to recovery

Almost a year following the devastating floods that hit our region in December 2023, locals are once again preparing for this year's upcoming wet season.

With so many families severely affected by Cyclone Jaspers wake; the Douglas Shire Council has hosted numerous community discussions, to help residents cope with the stress and the emotions that come with the lengthy recovery process.

Newsport Junior Reporter Byron Filmer attended the third and final round of discussions.

With Disaster and Community Recovery Advisor David Young once again coming to speak with communities throughout our region, and even have some one-on-one discussions with some locals who were most severely hit by the flood event.

Mr Young will attend numerous discussions in the area, including events at Wonga Beach, Cow Bay Beach and Degarra, with this event being held in the Daintree Village at the popular Croc Xpresso Cafe.

“Community Discussions like this are designed to help people get a better understanding of some of that challenges that will be faced,” Mr Young told Newsport.

“We have learnt from experience it takes communities around 5-7 years to completely recovery from large disasters. So, we know it’s a lengthy process,”.

The Daintree Village community welcomed Mr Young back, and after his talk with the attendees the hosts provided dinner to all. This was followed by some face-to-face chats with Mr Young where locals could ask questions or receive advice about their personal recovery experiences.

Mr Young approaches these events with an understanding that community members may be holding feelings of anger towards governments and other organisations that they feel may have let them down. From this he tries his best to help talk work through these feelings to better their recovery experiences.

To round off the night Mr Young shared with Newsport his top three recovery tips.

1. find a speed and a pace for recovery that suits you, don’t get burnt out.
2. Adjust your expectations around timeframes for how long recovery takes “Prepare to run a marathon rather than a sprint,”.
3. Don’t lose sight of the things that are most important to you. Remember to stay involved in the things you enjoy and don’t let recovery take over.

Police are appealing for urgent assistance to locate a 16-year-old girl reported missing from Mareeba on September 2.

The girl was last seen at a Moondani Avenue address on August 31 at 6:00am and has not been seen or heard from since.

It is believed she may be travelling in the Cairns area.

Family and police are concerned for her welfare due to the girl’s age, and a medical condition.

She is described as Caucasian, approximately 163cm tall with a slim build, with blonde hair and hazel/green eyes.

The girl, or anyone with information regarding her whereabouts, is urged to contact police.