Communities in north Queensland have started the process of recovery in the wake of Cyclone Debbie which swept across the Whitsunday Islands and mainland communities including Bowen, Proserpine and Airlie Beach this week.
Catholic priest Fr Jose Koyickal told The Catholic Leader that people in Proserpine remained “hopeful” in the wake of the cyclone, despite flooding and damage to properties and infrastructure.
“We can rebuild our lives, by the grace of God,” he said.
Earlier Andrew Wilcox, mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council, described the situation in Bowen as looking like a “war zone”.
Further south, schools in the state have been closed today as the ex-tropical cyclone draws near expected to bring with it severe thunderstorms and rain potentially causing flash flooding. Residents have been urged to stay off the roads.
The category 4 cyclone made landfall on Tuesday, bringing winds of up to 260kph. As well as property damage, the State Government has said agricultural industries, including sugar cane, have been hit hard by the cyclone.
