Late last year, North Queensland was hit by unprecedented flood waters and families were left stranded with power and water cut off.
Queensland Police, emergency services, and members of the ADF jumped into action, working side by side to conduct vital rescue and resupply missions in Barron River and Holloways Beach.
Navy’s Chief Petty Officer Marcus Effrett, of HMAS Cairns, was part of the rescue team and said they battled up to 16 knot currents and dodged debris to get to stranded families.
“The whole road had collapsed and the strength of the current was unbelievable,” Chief Petty Officer Effrett said.
“People had been stranded for days with no running water, no food, no power and no sewerage, so when we dropped in to get them to the other side, the smiles on their faces were just amazing.”
Over the course of three days, the HMAS Cairns team used three Zodiac small boats to transport about 200 civilians to safety alongside emergency services crews and good samaritans in true Queenslander style.
“Most of the people we transported had lost everything, but the Cairns community was just great, the emergency services and even a few locals in their tinnies all came to help,” Chief Petty Officer Effrett said.
Able Seaman Nathan Tootell, also of HMAS Cairns, was part of the Navy team involved in immediate evacuations and said it was a chaotic and surreal few days.
“It was a hectic few days. Being there is different to seeing it on TV. Getting people out and knowing they had just lost their homes and that my home wasn’t far away either, it’s difficult to explain,” Able Seaman Tootell said.
The two-person teams from HMAS Cairns used their Zodiac small boats to transit police and emergency services into isolated areas, delivered water to those in need and transported stranded families back to safety, with no person or pet left behind.
“We were assisting the police with immediate welfare checks as well as helping the fire service to get into isolated areas. We then ferried families and their pets out to the SES marry-up points and brought water to the people who didn’t want to leave,” Able Seaman Tootell said.
Navigation by GPS was not an option for the rescue teams who were forced to dodge floating debris and navigate via rooftops.
“We had to watch out for fences and star pickets to not puncture the boat. We just used the rooftops of houses and sheds to navigate around,” Able Seaman Tootell said.
“I haven’t done anything like this before, but it was really rewarding and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Army’s Private Scott Garden, of 51st Battalion, Far-North Queensland Regiment (51FNQR), has been a Cairns local since 2001 and is no stranger to its wild weather. He jumped into action to support the evacuations and said it was like nothing he had experienced before.
“I’ve seen a lot of cyclones up here and a lot of devastation, but I’ve never seen flooding like that before. It was next level and quite daunting,” Private Garden said.
Operating the Battalion’s 4.4 patrol watercraft, Private Garden transported emergency services through floodwaters and evacuated families including a mother and her two-week-old baby, but he was quick to credit all involved as a team effort.
“A lot of the local community are in the ADF as well. They left their flooded houses to assist and 51FNQR is no stranger to helping with these tasks, so it’s just what we do up here in the far north,” Private Garden said.
“The community were very grateful to see us doing our best to offer what assistance we could, and it was very humbling.
“The local SES and QPS [Queensland Police Service] do an amazing job. It’s great to be part of the ADF to join with them and to help our local community.”
