Far North Queenslanders prepare for Christmas in disaster zones
Many towns in the far north Queensland remain isolated this festive season but community spirt has shown resilience as they brace for wild weather over the Christmas period.
Transcript
00:00 Christmas cheer in the face of adversity.
00:05 Flood affected residents rallying together, lifting the spirits of those who've lost everything.
00:12 It's overwhelming. Helping people and being able to help back, you know, receive help back, is so good.
00:20 I just thought it would be maybe 50 or 100 gifts, it's something like 400. It's incredible.
00:26 I'm grateful that we could do this today.
00:30 A flood victim herself, Ria Holland, has organised hundreds of meals for others impacted in Cairns.
00:37 It's such a great experience to be able to hand in hot meals to people and as soon as they feel the warmth of the food, they start crying, giving me a hug.
00:49 Some are still isolated, unable to leave their communities with the Captain Cook Highway cut between Palm Cove and Port Douglas.
00:58 The ABC spoke to Dave Donnelly, who's been trapped at Ellis Beach for six days.
01:04 I'm feeling tired. I don't feel like it's Christmas, I can tell you that.
01:09 In Port Douglas, bottled water a welcome sight, after pipes were damaged by flooding on Tuesday.
01:16 The taps are expected to be turned on again tonight.
01:19 We've had teams from all over the state here working with our crews as well to ensure that this is being fixed as quickly as possible.
01:26 And I can guarantee you they've probably done about three weeks worth of work in a couple of days to get this done.
01:32 On the western side of the Cape, floodwaters are peaking in Kauanyama.
01:36 The state government has pledged an additional $100,000 in immediate financial assistance for North Queenslanders.
01:44 It's welcome news ahead of Christmas, but the fallout from this disaster will be felt long into the new year.
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