19 Dec FAR NORTH RALLIES IN FACE OF MONSTER FLOOD EVENT

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has applauded North and Far North Queensland for their resilience in the face of the weekend’s unprecedented “monster” rainfall event in and around Cairns.

Mr Katter said KAP MPs Bob Katter, Shane Knuth and Nick Dametto, whose electorates were affected by the floods, had welcomed the State and Federal disaster assistance provided to date.

He said the deployment of the Australian Defence Force, including HMAS Cairns, to assist in the rescue efforts had been a relief to all.

“We have seen Defence deployed as requested which has been a relief given the massive strain placed on emergency services over the weekend, all of whom were basically operating at their total capacity with rescues and evacuations,” he said.

Mr Katter said the rainfall and flooding experienced as a result of the ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper in the Cairns, Mareeba, Innisfail and Tablelands regions had been unprecedented on the basis of official records and was largely unexpected.

He said all eyes continued to watch what the weather system did next, including whether it would move towards the Gulf of Carpentaria and possibly reform.

“All KAP MPs as well as our candidate for Cook Bruce Logan are either on the ground or on the phones making sure there are no inadequacies in the support being rolled out to communities affected,” Mr Katter said.

“This will continue over the coming days and weeks, and we want anyone who encounters difficulties accessing the help they need to make sure they don’t hesitate in reaching out to our offices at any time.

“There are always gaps in the relief provided by the State and Federal Governments, and when this allows those in need to suffer it is unacceptable – we are happy to bang on any doors needed now and over the Christmas break.”