By STAFF REPORTERS

Emergency services finally accessed the Wujal Wujal community in far North Queensland on Tuesday after days of not being able to reach people trapped by flooding  caused by tropical cyclone Jasper.

Deputy Qld Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said the most vulnerable and elderly community members would be helped out first.

“It’s tough conditions in Wujal Wujal. We know we lost a number of houses yesterday, but the community has rallied together very strong,” he said.

“The police advise me that, you know, while it’s tough, they’re in good spirits. But we’ve got challenges in Wujal Wujal.

Residents are evacuated from flooding in northern Queensland.

“We know that we’ve only got about another day’s worth of water in that town, we’ve had impacts to food, power, overall water, and that’s why we’re doing that evacuation today.”

Some areas of far north Queensland have had 2000 millimetres of rain during the past seven days.

The Australian Defence Force sent two Chinook helicopters from Townsville to help evacuate residents, some of whom were stuck on rooftops before getting to higher ground on Monday.

A hellcopter lands on a beach to rescue stranded residents in far north Queensland.

Early damage assessments indicate one home in Wujal Wujal has been destroyed, 15 have severe damage and 50 are moderately damaged, Queensland Premier Steven Miles said.

The federal government has triggered financial support payments for affected communities from December 20.

People who live in Cairns, the Cassowary Coast, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale, Mareeba, the Tablelands, Wujal Wujal and Yarraabah local government areas can apply for a one-off payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child who have suffered a significant loss as a result of the floods.

Images courtesy of AAP, ADF