Disaster Reconstruction

Outback Queensland tourism providers are desperate for visitors to return to the region, after record-breaking floods impacted some — but not all — communities.

Thousands of kilometres of outback Queensland roads have been destroyed by floods, forcing cattle trucks on huge detours, doubling freight bills and leaving families on remote properties feeling even more isolated.

From thriving businesses to "ghost towns", mainland and K'gari (Fraser Island) tourism — worth $900 million to the local economy — faces a bleak Easter after the storm's damaging deluge.

Some unlucky residents in the Gold Coast hinterland have experienced a bushfire, a flood, a tornado and now a cyclone in the past five years. 

Some Queenslanders are experiencing a new and unpleasant threat in the wake of this week's floods.

The tight-knit Hervey Bay community is steeling itself for flood recovery with the help of Australian Defence Force reinforcements.

Murwillumbah is breathing a sigh of relief after dodging the worst of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. But with more rain forecast for coming days, authorities are warning the danger isn't over yet.

Prime Minister Albanese has announced more financial flood relief for impacted communities, as a critical link to isolated towns reopens.

The BOM says as the low pressure system loses structure and spreads out, where storms might hit is getting more difficult to predict.

When floods decimated the Lismore City Library in 2022, photos of the damage sparked a national outpouring of donations. At last, the space has reopened to the public.

A month after the December 17 earthquake struck and killed 14 people, voters are heading to the polls with the memories of recent aftershocks fresh in their minds.

Frank Manley remembers driving his family home across the Tasman Bridge at night but ahead of him the line markings disappeared into a dark abyss.

It's unclear when Port Vila's CBD, usually buzzing with holiday activity, will reopen to the public more than two weeks after a deadly magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck.

Vanuatu's deadly magnitude-7.3 earthquake has forced 1,700 people from their homes, with many still sleeping out in the open as weather forecasts predict heavy rain will hit Port Vila.

People in Vanuatu applaud its latest show of resilience following a deadly magnitude-7.3 earthquake, but they say it can't respond to its cascading natural disasters alone.

Crops have been washed away and roads left severely damaged in parts of Queensland which are calling for disaster relief funds.

Vanuatu's tourism businesses say visitors will play a major role in its post-earthquake recovery, when the country is ready for them.

From natural disasters to financial ruin, Eddie Cowie's Queensland lychee farm is finally showing signs of life again after nearly a decade of turmoil.

Fifty years ago, Cyclone Tracy changed the lives of those who lived through it. But it has also fundamentally changed the rule book to building in Australia.

A working group set up after severe storms over Queensland's Scenic Rim gives community members the skills to be more self-reliant and less dependent on outside help during a disaster.