On the 21st March 2006, the damage of Cyclone Larry is still being felt as whole communities in Northern Queensland were destroyed.
Kathryn Ryan from the Emergency Services Department the first to assess the damages told the ABC of the enormous destruction the cyclone had left behind. She said: “There was a lot of destruction out there; these towns had been really hard hit. There was debris all over the roads, lots of the houses completely destroyed. It was especially bad in towns like Babinda and Innisfail. What I saw today was nothing like I had ever seen anywhere before."
Ms. Ryan further went on telling the ABC that communities were ‘gutted’ and the scene was similar to that of a bomb exploding. She said: “These communities had been completely gutted by this cyclone, there were houses that had been severely damaged – they had lost their roofs, their windows had blown out, some look liked a bomb had exploded inside and shattered them to pieces.”
The trial of destruction had also extended to the church. The Sydneyanglicans.net reported ‘the parish of Innisfail’s church building and rectory both suffered severe property damage.’ The Reverend Chris Wright the Area Dean of the Northern Region in the Diocese of North Queensland told Sydneyanglicans.net: “Innisfail was devastated. The bulk of the church hall was gone and the rectory lost most of its roof. Thankfully, clergy and family were safe and well.”
Given this bleak situation, the Australian Defense Force reacted swiftly to cries of help of Queenslanders by mounting Operation Larry Assist, which was commanded by Brigadier Michael Slater. Late Monday Brigadier Slater deployed a combat service support team consisting of:
o A Field Kitchen with fresh rations to sustain 200 people for 24 hours.
o 10 Unimog trucks with 9000 litres of water and ration packs.
o 60 tarpaulins for emergency shelter.
o 5 person Primary Healthcare Team.
o Water Storage Capability.
o Environmental Health Officers.
The Uniting Church moderator Reverend Dr. David Pitman in light of this sad circumstances stated that ‘our hearts go out to those families whose homes had been damaged and whose livelihoods were now seriously threatened. Let us pray for them all, and for those who were working around the clock to provide the urgent support that was now required.’
The Bishop of North Queensland, the Rt Rev John Noble told the Sydneyanglicans.net the importance of prayer and relying on God in difficult circumstances. He said: “It was essential under the circumstances people remained calm by putting their trust in the Lord, caring for one another and encouraging one another to remain calm. Prayer was a great start and we could give thanks that there had been no loss of life or injury reported so far.”