New flood cameras at the Daintree River Ferry crossing will now stream images to the Douglas Dashboard, giving the community a better ability to keep a close eye on river levels this cyclone season.
Douglas Shire Council has installed new cameras at the northern and southern banks of the Daintree river at the ferry crossing, to better inform the public about the status of the river crossing.
The Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) has unveiled a new Facebook page and an opt-in subscription for email/SMS alerts at theΒ Douglas DashboardΒ to improve communication with the local community.
It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology declares an active βLa Ninaβ season, meaning there is a greater chance of above average rainfall, widespread flooding and tropical cyclones in coming months.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr, who is also Chairman of the Douglas LDMG, said plenty of work was happening behind the scenes to get the community ready this season.
βWe canβt control the weather but we can take steps to prepare and protect ourselves,β he said.
βBe prepared and stay connected at the Douglas Dashboard which is your go-to place for local and relevant information during severe weather events.
βI encourage everyone to sign up for the opt-in notifications and follow the Douglas Disaster Information Facebook page for trustworthy updates that will keep you safe this cyclones season.β
The Douglas LDMG will start releasing education material and pre-season tips ahead of Get Ready Queensland Week and SES Week this month. Households that are well prepared before a natural disaster occurs are more resilient and are able to recover faster. Douglas LDMG Co-ordinator Paul Hoye said many projects, such as new rain gauge instruments and river level monitors, were installed around Port Douglas, Mossman and Craiglie to improve the accuracy of local weather information.
βPreparation is key because when it comes to extreme weather events in Far North Queensland, itβs not a matter of if but when,β he said.
βBeing prepared can save lives, save money and can speed up recovery.β
A new message electronic message board was installed 1.2 km south of Barratt Creek Bridge, near Daintree Village, to allow motorists to safely turn around when the crossing is flooded.
Stay updated at the Douglas Dashboard and follow the Douglas Disaster Information Facebook page:
We’d love to hear from you.
Some of our best stories come from our readers. Share you story with us today, or send in your Letter to the Editor to express your view.
