Family rescued by SES chopper caught in Daintree drama

DAINTREE FLOODS

Last updated: 27/01/2019, 17:37:00 (AEST)

All smiles after a harrowing ordeal. Back row (from left) Alicia Smith and husband Tony Duffy. In front their children (from left) Willow, Ryder, Indiana and their dog Dusty. Image: Courtesy FAB FM

A dramatic rescue by a State Emergency Services Helicopter has ended a 16-hour nightmare for a family of five who manage a property on the southernmost part of the Daintree and had been desperately waiting to be evacuated from their waterlogged farm.

Tony and Alicia Duffy, and their children of two, four and six, who manage Roger and Maggie Allen’s property, Tranquility, were exposed to a “death trap” after the power lines were taken down from the heavy rains and were left lying naked in the field.

Daintree property owner Roger Allen on the phone with SES. IMAGE: FAB FM

And after more than 16 hours, which included an uncomfortable and miserable night, and the uncertainty of if and when they would be rescued, they were finally lifted off the property in a delicate operation and flown to safer ground.

For the better part of today, Roger, who did manage to contact the family, struggled to secure a rescue service. “I tried the various emergency services to ferry in a helicopter, but without any luck,” he said.