DOUGLAS Shire Council is embarking on an “If Only” campaign, which aims to educate the community about disaster resilience and how people respond in times of adversity. It is funded by RACQ’s Get Ready Queensland.

The project involves Council collecting written stories and undertaking video interviews with people about their wild weather experiences in the Douglas Shire.

“We are calling on our communities to share their personal natural disaster experiences to demonstrate how easily ‘what if’ can become ‘if only’ when nature’s fury strikes,” said Mayor Julia Leu.

“The aim of the campaign is to film a series of interviews with locals detailing their natural disaster experiences to highlight how quickly life as we know it can be turned upside down by the impact of floods and cyclones.

“It can happen in an instant – raging floodwaters ravaging your home or business or destructive winds toppling trees strong enough to crumble buildings, vehicles and the world you once knew around you,” she said.

The Douglas Shire has a long history of dealing with extreme weather events, including the devastating cyclone which wiped out many of the buildings when it struck with no warning on a warm autumn evening in Port Douglas and Mossman in 1911, claiming at least two lives.

Records from as early as 1883 featured in the Douglas Shire Historical Society book on Daintree Pioneers; also dwell on the devastation experienced by early European settlers as they grappled with the elements.

“Settlers drowned, young and old, trying to save cattle, caught in flooded fences, or in debris on the river,” Tricia Fay wrote of the 1883 floods in Daintree Pioneers.

“Many were trapped in their houses as the river rose so swiftly, while others just slipped in mud and into the river.”

“Because we are a resilient community we run the risk of becoming complacent about the damaging impacts our weather can bring,” said Mayor Leu.

“By sharing your stories we can help educate others in our community on how to prepare and respond better to future weather events as well as celebrating our community spirit and resilience.

“We want to explore the region’s history of cyclones, monsoonal rain and floods and share your experiences of extreme weather and individual and community resilience in the Douglas Shire,” she said.

To share your story, simply tell us in 100 words or less your local natural disaster experiences and email ceounit@douglas.qld.gov.au by COB on 15 August.

Council is aiming to film the interviews during August and September and produce the “If Only” campaign in time for the next wet season.

Click on the the shire's Douglas Local Disaster Management Group’s Disaster Management Plan which for more information, which is updated annually.

The LDMG consists of Council, police, fire and emergency services, paramedics, SES, Ergon, Tourism Port Douglas Daintree, the Coastguard, Queensland Health, Port Douglas State School, National Parks and Wildlife Services.

The LDMG meets regularly to plan and prepare for disaster management scenarios.