One year on
One of the biggest cyclones in Australia's history crossed the North Queensland coast on 2 February, 2011. The category five cyclone, with winds of up to 285 kilometres per hour damaged communities from Cairns to Townsville. Townships including Tully, Mission Beach and Cardwell were most severely affected. Thousands of homes, buildings and infrastructure were damaged or destroyed. Red Cross assisted thousands of people in evacuation centres across the battered region. Together, Red Cross and communities then began the slow journey of recovery.
Rebuilding from the rubble
Ray says he is forever grateful to Red Cross who have helped him through the past year when he lost his Cardwell home and was forced to relocate to Atherton, "Red Cross, they bent over backwards to help me and that was a wonderful thing." Read more.
Rewards with recovery
In the past year, Red Cross staff and volunteers supported more than 16,600 people across the state, checking to see how they were coping and ensuring their needs were being looked after. Read more.
Red Cross response
Red Cross is working closely with local governments, recovery agencies and the State Government to support communities as they recover, providing personal support and practical resources across the affected areas. Read more.
Queenslanders still need your support
Please consider making a donation to our Disaster Relief and Recovery work. Your support assists us to help households and communities prepare for and recover from disasters.
Disasters can happen in a moment, but their effects can be felt a lifetime. Your support ensures that Red Cross is able to respond as soon as an emergency occurs and helps us continue to support people in their journey of recovery.
