The winds of Cyclone Nathan may be hitting further north than first predicted but residents and the SES in Douglas Shire are still planning for possible flash flooding caused by a combination of rains and a very high tide. 

Friday morning at about 9am should see a 3.1-metre high tide hitting at the same time as torrential rains courtesy of Cyclone Nathan, raising concerns of flooding along coastal areas of Douglas Shire, including Port Douglas. 

The regional SES have already distributed hundreds of sandbags at Mossman and Port Douglas, with residents even coming down from the Tablelands to pick up the necessary defences against high waters.

Doug Townsend has come all the way down from Julatten to stock up on sandbags for a temperamental creek near his property, under the idea that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Just doing it to be sure,” he said.

“There’s one creek on the property that goes up and down pretty quickly.

“I’m pretty confident but just being precautionary, looking for peace of mind. If you didn’t do anything and something happened, you’d be pretty cranky about it.”

Doug’s seen a few cyclones before and recognises them as a fact of life in the Far North.

“Nature is nature,” he said.

“When she unleashes, there’s not much you can do.”

Local SES Controller Bob Taylor said plenty of sandbags were being deployed agains the risk of flooding in Douglas Shire.

“We’ve had about ten people, maybe a dozen, turn up today, some people take 20 bags, some take 50,” he said.

“Some people are new to the area and might be unsure about what risk their property is at of flooding - we’d advise them to check inside their meter box and look for a coloured tag which will show flood risk. They can also check Douglas Shire Council for flood maps and other information.”

Douglas Shire Council will not be activating its Storm Surge Centre but the Local Disaster Management Group will keep a close watch on conditions as the cyclone approaches the coast.