For the Community, By The Community State Emergency Services

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The State Emergency Service (SES) played a crucial role in the flood recovery across Hinchinbrook, leading rescue and evacuation efforts in Ingham, Halifax, and Lucinda.
Working with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), they helped residents in submerged homes, managed storm damage, and supported vulnerable individuals with food and medical aid.
SES used aerial resources, including Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, to assess damage.
Area Controller John Forde praised the swift recovery efforts, averaging 40 minutes per house. “Every house, location, and access are a little different,” he noted. Forde also commended volunteers, including teams from WA and Northern Territory, for their dedication.

The Heroes Behind The Floods

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The State Emergency Service (SES) has been vital in flood recovery and emergency operations across the Hinchinbrook region following the recent disaster.
SES teams led rescue and evacuation efforts in flood-hit areas like Ingham, Halifax, and Lucinda, working with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) to rescue residents from submerged homes. They also responded to storm damage, including sandbagging, tarping, and managing storm-related issues.
As recovery progressed, SES focused on supporting vulnerable individuals, delivering food, medical drops, and providing medical aid in partnership with Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS). They also deployed air assets with the Australian Defence Force and QFES to transport people and supplies.
Additionally, the SES used Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to assess damage and support local council and Queensland Police Service requests. These aerial resources were essential for accessing affected areas.
Area Controller John Forde highlighted the swift recovery, with crews averaging 40 minutes per house.
“Every house, location, and access are a little different, so the 40 minutes was a base estimate.”
John also praised the incredible volunteers from across Australia, including WA and Northern Territory, who supported the region. The WA team travelled 14 hours to assist in Hinchinbrook, and now, with cyclone devastation in the west, they may soon be called to help there.
“I was on standby to support our neighbours because of what they've done to us,” John added.
Local and non-local communities really came together to support the region, with neighbours and volunteers coming from all over to provide assistance:
“From the 30th of January we would have had in excess of maybe 300 to 400 volunteers come through the Hinchinbrook LGA over that period of time.
When comparing the 2019 floods to the 2025 floods, John explained how there was less warning for the community this time round.
“While there were signs, the timeframes, the information coming through, the communications, the access, it all compounded,” John explained.
“Then once the communities became isolated, it reduced the response capability for emergency services to get into some of these places initially.
“The Hinchinbrook LGA is a very resilient community, they all band together.
“The wardens out there are constantly communicating with their members and coordinating and communicating with emergency response.”
“Once the highway cut at Ollera Creek reduced the support that we could provide for our council area, so that when the ADF got involved with airdrops and support.
John explained how they are doing their best to help everyone in the community as fast as they can:
“In a major catastrophe, or in a major incident like this, there is always going to be somebody that's going to be last.
“We try as best we can, we've only got so many resources and personnel on the ground to get to all these people.
“We do try to keep up awareness on the dashboards, or ask individuals to ring the SES and 132, 500 or if it's five threading triple zero, but at the end of the day, there's, there's always going to be somebody that's going to be last.
“We accept that, and we try to get there as the best we can.
“Members are volunteers, so they're leaving their houses, their families, and some have already been impacted with these disasters.”
“One of the main things to realise with volunteers, it's literally for the community, by the community.”
John highlighted that many in the community will face mental distress during the recovery phase and stressed the importance of using available resources and reaching out for support.
If you've been impacted by severe weather in Northern Queensland, help is available. Contact the 24/7 Community Recovery Hotline at 1800 173 349 for assistance and to access local support.