CONTINUED AFTERNOON LIVE COVERAGE: Captain Cook Highway likely to be closed until late January - Sgt Meadows

5.42PM: Port Douglas water turned off, residents in the dark

Newsport understands Port Douglas residents are now without water after Council instructed local water access be turned off. Newsport understands water levels got to about 7% a few hours, which led to Council making the decision. A number of residents remain disappointed that the weren't given any notice or informed that water was going to be turned off.

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2.49PM: Douglas Shire resident John gives us further information about the Daintree, Cow Bay area - people running low of crucial medical supplies, food, fuel

"People in Forest Creek just North of the ferry have no access to Cow Bay as the road access over the range has washed out and has big trees across it that need Council heavy machinery to move. The only other access is  obviously over the river, who knows how long that will take," John told Newsport just seconds ago.

"Quite a few people I have spoken with here say they have 2-3 days fuel for generators and 2-3 days food left before they run out. No one can get resupply here of anything. 

"Same with medication. I spoke with one lady with day days supply of her heart medication and she was worried about resupply as Cow Bay clinic is not accessible to Forest Creek. In fact there are no emergency services able to access us here at all.

"In my street we are all making sure each other is ok and have cleared the road to the ferry thanks to the Jacks. Now it’s just wait and see if the ferry opens before people start running out of medicine, food and fuel for their generators."

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2.44PM: Breaking news: Simon George, Sons to deliver rescue food package to Douglas Shire hotels, residents

Newsport can reveal Simon George and Sons have hired a vessel to transport fresh produce to the hotels and restaurants in Port Douglas tomorrow, December, 20. The trawler is expected to arrive into Port Douglas tomorrow around 1-2pm.

Simon George and Sons also told Newsport they are donating fresh fruits and vegetable to the Port Douglas community services network for distribution to those that need help in the community.

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2.38PM: Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch discusses damage to Daintree, need for critical supplies

Warren Entsch media release:

The Far North tourism industry, including operators out of the Douglas Shire are already facing estimated losses of over $125 million in bookings alone.

In just the last three days, a 10% drop in January occupancy rates has been observed. The risk of losing the industry’s workforce looms large as recovery timelines extend, underscoring the necessity for industry-specific support.

Mr Entsch said that critical infrastructure had been significantly damaged following this event with our region now facing an enormous task in repairing key infrastructure damaged by the floods. While the extent of this task is yet to be fully realised, it is clear that significant funding and resources will be required to restore vital infrastructure.

“I’d like to particularly make reference to the Daintree, much of this area is entirely reliant upon generators, fuel stocks will no doubt start to wain in coming days and we must ensure that we can get fuel into this community to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents in these areas,” Mr Entsch said.

Reliable, local weather advice is crucial for disaster preparedness. Recent trends towards centralising Bureau of Meteorology services away from FNQ have raised concerns. Local expertise and insights are essential for accurate forecasting and effective community response planning.

“Everyone is entirely reliant upon BOM’s advice, it’s clear there was a far greater focus on Cyclone Jasper, and not nearly enough clear advice and timely warnings about the one in a hundred year rainfall event that followed,” Mr Entsch said.

“From businesses fighting to stay afloat, to the impending infrastructure overhaul and the unique challenges faced by isolated communities like the Daintree, it’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to disaster recovery won’t suffice. We need targeted, flexible support tailored to the diverse needs of our region.

“In coming days and weeks I expect the focus will be on major infrastructure and major roads, but we can’t overlook the smaller regional roads. For instance, the coastal road between the Daintree and Wujal Wujal, they’ve seen significant challenges and ensuring they can get access is just as critical.”

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2.28PM: Ergon Energy Douglas Shire power update

"The flood emergency has impacted restoration targets in the worst-affected areas, including areas across the Douglas Shire, where access remains challenging," an Ergon Energy spokesperson told Newsport just moments ago.

"Where they can safely access the network, crews are assessing the extent of the damage and repairs required so we can give customers accurate restoration timeframes.

"Estimated fix times will be updated in Outage Finder when the new restoration plan is released: Outage Finder text view | Ergon Energy. Please note: ‘next update’ is actually the same as ‘estimated fix time’.

"Although crews will be working to safely restore power as soon as practically possible, we need to set realistic expectations in areas that remain isolated because of record flooding and where sections of the network may need to be rebuilt.

"If people’s homes or businesses have been damaged by floods or the cyclone, they will need to arrange an inspection from a licenced electrical contractor before we can safely reconnect them to the network."

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2.00PM: Helicopter departs Cape Tribulation, more on Daintree including Noah Range devastation

Daintree resident Lawrence Mason just seconds ago told Newsport a Nautilus helicopter has just left the Cape after a number of specialists took a tour of the area over the past hour.

Mason said four Policeman and QFES personnel were driven around the Cape where they carried out an inspection of roads, houses, and general damage to the Cape. Notes were taken, and now a plan of attack is being compiled for the Daintree moving forward.

Mason said the ongoing damage to Noah's Range is far worse, than that of Alexandra Range. In a rare positive development, Newsport understands damage to Alexandra Range is not as bad as first thought.

Mason said he understands Noah's Bridge still exists, but it has suffered damage.

He said he knows one house in Noah Valley that has been washed away, one house in Cape Trib that is surrounded by landslides, and a third house at Forest Creek that has been destroyed by flood.

Like Brooke and Jeremy, Lawrence mentioned that once again fuel is a huge issue, and a key priority as is access to medication for treatments like asthma, diabetes and mental health matters.

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1.31PM: Further Daintree latest, information

There's further developments coming out of the Daintree Well known local identity Brooke Nikora from Ocean Safari told us:

- Ocean Safari Reef Tripper looking to make a trip to Port Douglas from Cape Tribulation with around 15-25 people on board this afternoon, weather conditions pending. The boat is set to carry pregnant women, tourists and locals who have been misplaced because of the ongoing natural disaster.

- Brooke has echoed earlier sentiments telling Newsport fuel remains the biggest priority for Douglas Shire residents.

- Brooke has queried who will assist Ocean Safari with compensation following their efforts to make an emergency dash from Cape Trib to Port Douglas.. State Government? Council?

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1.30PM: CAPTAIN COOK HIGHWAY LATEST

Douglas Shire motorists have been encouraged to avoid future Cairns travel with the region's main road arterial - the Captain Cook Highway bewteen Port Douglas - Cairns, expected to be closed for a least a month.

A short time ago Douglas Police boss Damian Meadows told Newsport, ongoing landslides, extremely dangerous and saturated cliff tops ajoining the highway, large, fallen boulders, cracking roads and extreme debris on the road has him predicting it won't be until late next month until the Highway re-opens to the public.

"At this stage I'd encourage locals to avoid all travel to Cairns, because it's unlikely the highway will re-open until late January," Sgt Meadows told Newsport.

"The Highway continues to be assessed. The main priority is to get one lane open so emergency personnel can deliver re-supplies into the Douglas Shire.

"We simply don't know how long it will take to fully have the road back in drivable condition, but what I can say it's going to be at least January or mid to late January, that's my prediction."