As the flood emergency continues to worsen in far north Queensland, authorities are planning to evacuate the entire Indigenous community of Wujal Wujal by air to Cooktown. The once-quaint town is now submerged under rising floodwaters caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, rendering it inaccessible by land.
Nine people, including a child, spent the night trapped on the roof of the local health clinic after attempting to self-evacuate on Monday morning during a brief reprieve in water levels. The clinic, one of the few remaining structures in the flood-stricken town, is now surrounded by more than 2 meters of murky water.
The Wujal Wujal Aboriginal shire council CEO, Kiley Hanslow, described the scene as chaotic and frightening. “People are really scared,” she said. “We work together though… so there’s about 50 people sheltering at my place across on the other side of the community. We got stuck on this side because we’re helping people to evacuate.”
Dallas Walker, a local resident, vividly recounted her experience at the clinic, where she spent an hour waiting for help to arrive. “We’re looking at a house with people stuck there. They have a traditional owner, who is elderly. I can’t say how many people are there. But we’ve been here all morning, trying to get help, trying to get some sort of boat just to get over and bring them back to safety.”
Queensland FloodRain continues to pour down on Wujal Wujal, and the water level is expected to rise further with the high tide on Monday afternoon. With no electricity or food available, residents are facing a race against time to escape the rising waters.
Regan Kulka, the Wujal Wujal deputy mayor, recalled how he and his family had to flee their home at about 9 pm on Sunday after the floodwaters suddenly began rising. “It’s a pretty high house. We didn’t think we were in any danger and it came up. Luckily we got out of there,” he said, his tone tinged with relief.
However, Kulka’s home is now underwater, and his family is waiting for evacuation. “There’s nobody here for us, we’re here on our own, there’s no ED at the hospital, the power is off, there’s no food in the store. We’re just being forgotten.”
The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, acknowledged the challenges faced by rescue teams, citing the extreme weather conditions as the main obstacle. “The problem is the rain won’t stop and until it eases up we can’t get aerial support into remote places like Wujal Wujal and we have people stuck on roofs that have been there all night.”
Deputy police commissioner Shane Chelepy assured that authorities are working tirelessly to rescue those stranded in Wujal Wujal and other nearby areas. “We are doing everything we can to get our emergency services in to support these people. We have been in contact via phone and we know they are safe and being on the roof at the moment is the safest location for these people.”