When Cyclone Jasper made landfall north of Cairns in December 2023, it left 12 critical road routes severed across the Cairns hinterland. Within hours, Our emergency response team was activated under our standing agreement with Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR).
The First 36 Hours
The call from TMR came at 6:14am on 14 December. By 2pm that afternoon, the first our convoy was departing Townsville with plant and equipment. By the following morning, air freight had delivered the first elements of Our specialist team to Cairns.
Within 36 hours of the initial call, 140 our personnel were on the ground across seven active work fronts. Operations ran 24 hours a day from first mobilisation.
Results
- -All 12 routes reopened to single-lane traffic within 72 hours
- -6 priority routes fully reinstated within 21 days
- -Works completed $1.1M under approved emergency budget
- -Zero injuries across the emergency mobilisation and response
Our Emergency Response Director said: "This event demonstrated everything our standing agreements are designed for - no procurement delays, no mobilisation debates. The machine just starts."
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