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‘Incredible community spirit’: Queensland’s flooding fight
Towns turned into islands, residents on roofs, roads becoming rivers – GPs in the Far North have shared their stories as the area is inundated.
GPs and nurses have set up a pop-up medical centre at the Yorkeys Knob Boat Club. (Image: Dr Lee Jones)
A large table with a few chairs scattered around it – that is all that fills the multi-purpose room of the Yorkeys Knob Boat Club.
But today, it has been transformed into a GP clinic after the town, which neighbours Cairns, was completely inundated by terrifying floodwaters.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Jasper, many towns have endured more rain in the past week than they would usually see in a year, with some experiencing as much 2252 millimetres of rain in the past seven days alone.
At the nearby airport, planes are half underwater, crocodiles are swimming in the streets, and homes have been left deserted as residents flee to higher ground.
At Yorkeys Medical, they had no power and no option of opening, but neither obstacle was going to stop them seeing their patients.
‘We were really wanting to get in and help people, but we didn’t have a clinic, so we all decided unanimously that we would try and do something,’ local GP Dr Lee Jones told newsGP.
‘The Boat Club said they could give us a room away from everyone and we’ve seen a number of different cases, we’ve been providing scripts, and it’s essentially a pop-up GP clinic.
‘As soon as the opportunity came, every single doctor put their hand up, every single nurse, every staff member, there are staff members that had flooding of their own house that have made it here.’
Now, they are doing the best they can with the little they have, all while hoping a much-needed reprieve is on the way.
‘It’s essentially a boardroom and we’re having discussions as people are walking in, we have an emergency pack, a defibrillator, a miniature ECG machine,’ Dr Jones said.
‘We’re hoping not to use those things, but we don’t know what will come through now that the roads are open.
‘I can pretty much speak for the GPs in town when I say that we will be doing our best. I just hope that everyone in the community can get to see medical professionals immediately because it’s been a long time since the community could get out of here.’
The constant rain has meant rescue crews are only now beginning to reach some of the most devastated communities, but the
Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed some relief could be in sight, with rainfall beginning to ease.
Dr Aileen Traves has lived in North Queensland for 23 years, but told
newsGP she has never seen anything like the deluge currently flooding the area.
‘We have become an island, cut off to the north, south, and west, and by air, and we are aware that communities north of us are even more isolated,’ she said.
‘Six days of relentless torrential rain has been far more than usual … I’ve never seen this volume of water before.’
The Cairns GP is one of 295 RACGP Fellows in the Cairns and FNQ catchment area, currently in the grips of unprecedented flooding.
‘We have seen incredible community spirit with people helping with rescues, pulling cows out when they saw them floating down the river, offering food, clothes, shelter, and essentials to total strangers,’ she said.
‘North Queenslanders are a pretty resilient bunch, and events like this bring out the best in our communities.
‘Our emergency services and disaster management teams have been stretched but they’re doing their absolute best.’
Dr Traves says she has been lucky – her clinic in North Cairns miraculously did not flood despite being near the Cairns Airport and Barron River.
Nonetheless, power and internet have been sporadic over the last week, and while staff have been working hard to stay open, there is a long road ahead.
‘We will then see supply issues, including the current critical water supply situation here in Cairns, potential food supply issues in the lead up to Christmas, possible medication shortages, and those needing power for medical devices running out of generator fuels,’ Dr Traves said.
‘We expect to see significant numbers of infections – wounds, gastro from unsafe food and water, and a number of waterborne infections.
‘Then there is all the associated trauma for patients, practice staff and doctors who have lost homes, businesses, and the vicarious trauma for those who have faced these situations before.’
With stories of GPs going above and beyond for their patients continue to pour out of the Far North, RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cath Hester said GPs are the ‘linchpins of our communities’.
‘GPs are instrumental in amplifying important safety messaging to communities, and also identifying and supporting vulnerable patients,’ she told
newsGP.
‘We help our communities in a way that is very special and far more person-centred than other frontline workers because we have a longitudinal relationship with our patients.
‘Long after the SES and the ADF have completed their part of the recovery we will still be in our communities, counselling, helping to piece lives back together again.’
But the clean-up effort is expected to last well into the future, with some predicting years of recovery on the horizon.
Moving forward, Dr Hester said it is vital GPs are adequately supported, resourced, and included in any disaster responses.
‘GPs are well-positioned to deliver vital care and support to our communities, and we have well-honed triage and primary care skills, and are masters at cross-collaboration with other agencies,’ she said.
‘Our North Queensland colleagues have my utmost respect for the crucial work they are doing in supporting their communities.
‘The RACGP will continue to advocate for support and resources, and to provide pastoral care for GPs affected. Please stay safe, take some time for your family and own care, and do not hesitate to let us know the best way to assist.’
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins agreed, saying her heart goes out to the Far North Queensland colleagues.
‘Having been through this personally, it is the “after” that is the hard part – no power, the smell, broken roads and fights with insurance companies,’ she told
newsGP.
‘It takes a long time for the community to recover from the trauma, including you. Your colleagues and college are here to help.’
For more information, the RACGP has guidelines for
providing care and support during disasters.
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