Roads are starting to open up again in flood-stricken northern Queensland, three weeks after Tropical Cyclone Jasper hit the area. Nonetheless, it might be a while before hundreds of people can go back to their homes after being evacuated from an Indigenous community north of Cairns. Teams are still working hard to clear the flood damage caused by Cyclone Jasper, with approximately 650 kilometers of state roads reopened across the far north up to this point. This includes the road from Cooktown to Wujal Wujal, an Aboriginal community that was heavily impacted last month.
Wujal Wujal was hit by Cyclone Jasper on December 13, bringing record rainfall and flooding that resulted in nearly 300 people being relocated to Cooktown by Australian Defence Force helicopters. Peter Scott, the Cook Shire Mayor, reported on January 3 that while four people remained at their recovery center, approximately 200 were still in town, staying with family, friends, or at motels. He didn’t foresee their immediate return to Wujal Wujal despite the road reopening, mentioning that it will take some time to rebuild and reestablish fundamental services in the area.
Recovery efforts are already in full swing at the Indigenous community, with a temporary police station even set up following reports of looting. Red Cross and Salvation Army aid efforts are set to continue at the Cooktown recovery center for at least two more weeks. While many roads have been reopened, many remain closed, including a section of the Captain Cook Highway between Buchans Point and Oak Beach, where mud and debris are two meters deep in some areas. Nonetheless, the reopening of the roads has brought some relief for local tourism and farmers, and the goal is to get critical transportation links operational as soon as possible.