There are fears crocodiles could wash up onto the streets of Cairns when Tropical Cyclone Jasper makes landfall, in a repeat of freak animal storms that have hit the state in the past.
Jasper, currently a category 2 tropical cyclone, is set to make landfall at about lunchtime on Wednesday near Wujal Wujal in Cape York.
Australian communities in its path were ordered to evacuate at about 3pm on Tuesday.
As residents brace for impact, local tourism operator Richard Berman-Hardman from Cairns Skyrail Rainforest Cableway said it was possible crocodiles could appear in the streets.
The tourist town is in Australia’s cyclone region. It’s home to a network of storm drains and waterways that help it recover from tropical storms, though that drainage system can bring wildlife right up to residents’ doorsteps.
“Cairns is built for cyclones,” Mr Berman-Hardman told Channel 10 on Tuesday when asked about the possibility of crocs.
“One thing that makes it easy for us to recover from them is that there are waterways and drains right through town, so everything kind of joins up when there are big rains, so it’s not out of the question but probably unlikely.”
“I guess you’ve seen snakes on a plane, let’s just hope there’s no crocs on the cableway by the end of tomorrow,” he joked.
Though the phenomenon sounds bizarre, it’s not unprecedented in Queensland.
In the aftermath of high tides and heavy rains, crocodiles can move further upstream into areas in which they wouldn’t typically be spotted.
There were reports of crocs roaming the streets during the 2021-22 flooding events across Queensland’s southeast, as well as when Cyclone Owen hit the state in 2018.
During Cyclone Owen, crocs were flushed out of surrounding creeks and onto the streets in Far North Queensland, with authorities forced to issue animal hazard warnings in the midst of the disaster.
“There are a lot of crocodiles that are being sighted at the moment so be careful on the roads and please don’t go near the crocodiles,” then-Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at the time.
At least 15,000 homes in Cairns are at risk of storm surge flooding.
Cairns’ Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) urged residents in the city’s red zone — the areas at the highest risk of flooding from cyclone storm tide — to evacuate immediately due to the risk of a large storm surge when Jasper crosses the coast.
“Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to cause widespread storm surge in the red zone,” a LDMG spokesman said.
“People in the red zone should leave immediately to higher ground. You may be in danger when the cyclone crosses. Go immediately to higher ground to stay with family or friends away from the red zone surge areas.
“Properties in the orange zone [areas at high risk] may experience flooding.”
Properties in Cairns North, Cairns City, Portsmith and Parramatta Park are expected to be the worst impacted as Jasper edges towards the Queensland coast.
Residents have been urged to visit the Cairns Disaster Dashboard to check if they are in a storm tide zone.
Two evacuation centres have been set up, one at Redlynch State College Sports Hall and one at Edmonton Storm Tide Cyclone Shelter.
“Big waves and sea water will travel inland and through coastal creeks and rivers. This can flood and damage buildings, wash away roads and cars, and damage bridges,” the LDMG spokesman warned.
“Roads could be blocked by fallen trees, powerlines or flood water from the cyclone. There will be lots of wind and rain from the cyclone. There will be flooding in low-lying areas. Power, water, phone and sewerage services could stop working.”
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Far North residents can expect to feel gale force winds six hours ahead of the cyclone’s coastal crossing.
Cairns Airport was shut down on Tuesday with 18 arrival flights and seven departure flights cancelled. Chief executive officer Richard Barker said the airport was following its cyclone plan in line with advice from the BOM.
He urged both domestic and international travellers to stay away from the airport on Wednesday, as it would be closed due to the unsafe weather conditions.
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Jasper is less than 300km from the Queensland coast and moving west.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services urged those in cyclone regions to prepare an emergency kit in a waterproof container in case disaster strikes.
They recommended residents stock up on three-days worth of food and water, battery-powered technology, first aid and pet supplies and keep important documents handy.
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2023-12-12 14:48:45Z
CBMinQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC93ZWF0aGVyL2xlYXZlLWltbWVkaWF0ZWx5LWNhaXJucy1yZWQtem9uZS1ldmFjdWF0ZWQtYW1pZC10cm9waWNhbC1jeWNsb25lLWphc3Blci9uZXdzLXN0b3J5LzllNWZmNjBhYmMxMjcxM2I4NjZhZWJmODcwYmE3Njdj0gEA
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