Deluge swamps Queensland tourist, agriculture zones

The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Monday that “dangerous and life-threatening” rainfalls of up 300 millimetres in six hours could occur around the Daintree.

Hundreds of people have been rescued and plans were made to evacuate the whole town of Wujal Wujal, about 175 kilometres north of Cairns, which has about 300 people and where many had sheltered on the roof of the local clinic. Even parts of Cairns Airport were flooded, leaving some small planes underwater.

“This level of rainfall is next level,” newly anointed Queensland Premier Steven Miles told a press conference on Monday morning. “Intense rainfall is expected to continue.”

Insurance claims have ranged from inundation to homes to businesses.

One industry source told The Australian Financial Review that among potential expensive issues with claims would be the possibility of homes being inundated with “blackwater” – industry slang for water containing sewage or other contaminants. Such claims are more expensive because they require sanitation and additional cleaning of properties.

Insurers had as of Monday notched up more than 750 claims, but these will rise as people return home after floodwaters recede. Brisbane-based Suncorp had 500 claims, Sure Insurance – a specialty North Queensland brand backed by US insurer Liberty Mutual – had 200 including 30 uninhabitable homes, Brisbane-based RACQ 183, Sydney-based Allianz 50 and Sydney-based IAG 95 including nine commercial property insurance claims through its brand CGU.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Brett Fraser said Cyclone Jasper had caused an estimated $100 million in losses from cancellations, as people avoided travelling initially to a wide area including the Whitsunday Islands.

Mr Fraser said the level of damage to infrastructure was yet to be assessed, but he urged people to not cancel holidays yet. “This is an industry that recovers very quickly,” he told the Financial Review.

Roads were cleaved in two amid landslides or flooding, including the Captain Cook Highway heading north out of Cairns completely swamped.

In locations such as Euramo, about 150 kilometres south of Cairns and 30 kilometres west of Mission Beach, locals pulled up in dinghies at the local pub. The Hotel Euramo even posted on Facebook images of people drinking at a table outside sitting in ankle deep water, while a video of the pub, describing the outside being a pool with a “croc fence” had been liked more than 12,000 times on TikTok.

In Douglas Shire, north of Cairns and including tourism areas such as Port Douglas and Mossman, some communities were cut off.

Some people were only able to send a message or picture during the brief window they received mobile phone reception amid continuing heavy showers and thunderstorms.

“The last communication we got from Daintree village was the water was as high as the power poles,” Mayor Michael Kerr said.

“Some of the photos are just horrendous. We have roads that have disappeared with 100-metre landslides and boulders the size of houses.”

Evacuation centres had been set up at Mossman and Wonga Beach.

“We have houses inundated with water, record rainfall of 1500 millimetres since last week across the region – all of our communities are pretty much blocked off,” Mr Kerr said.

Half the shire had been without water for 24 hours.

“They are using buckets of water to flush toilets,” Mr Kerr said.

– With agencies