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A young boy at last week's protest calling for better flood protection. (Facebook: TSConnect)
Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, unpredictable
winds and destructive king tides are increasing problems in the Torres
Strait, with roads, buildings and even cemeteries being washed away in
recent years.
A flood prevention method that withstood wild
weather this week may be rolled out to other vulnerable Torres Strait
communities, including Yam Island where families were left homeless
after king tides last year.Torres Strait Island Regional Council deputy mayor Getano Lui said geotextile sandbags were used for the first time in the Torres Strait this week when abnormally high tides impacted Poruma Island, a cultural hub home to just 200 people.
"It's getting worse every year," he said.
"Climate change is really having a detrimental effect on all the communities."When I was growing up the elders could predict the weather but right now it's unpredictable.
"The worst is yet to come this year, the king tides are predicted [on February 19] and anything could happen, we could end up with the same catastrophe as Yam Island last year."
Video: Strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday Island this week, video supplied by Francine Zoia (ABC News)
Connection to land, culture under threat
Research from the Torres Strait Regional Authority shows sea levels are rising by 6mm each year — double the global average."If this trend continues, relocation is an option many of those on the Torres Strait's 200 islands and coral cays may be faced with," Mr Lui said.
"What is instilled in us and our ancestors is if the Torres Strait sinks, we'll sink with it.
"We would be very reluctant to be relocated.
"Most of us would refuse to leave."Torres Shire Council mayor Vonda Malone said the region's two councils would now look at installing the sandbags on other vulnerable islands such as Yam Island, Masig Island and Boigu.
"The weather over the last two weeks has been unpredictable; it has been full on," she said.
"The geotextile sandbags have been used on places like Christmas Island but it's the first time we've used them on the Torres Strait and so far they have done quite well.
"It does provide that much-needed protection."
Mr Lui said while the sandbags were a start, they were not a permanent solution.
"We still need to have a look at what is long lasting, what is appropriate. I don't want people to get complacent," he said.
"We need to work with governments to safeguard these communities and not wait until the inevitable to start looking for solutions."
Sinking cemeteries a concern for State MP
Cook Shire MP Cynthia Lui said people in the Torres Strait were no strangers to unexpected weather events, but there was no denying things were getting worse each year.She said climate change not only threatened vital infrastructure but deep cultural heritage.
"As an Indigenous woman coming from Yam Island I have a spiritual connection with our ancestors," she said.
"I visited the islands last week and one lady in Warraber spoke to me.
"She told me when the cemetery got washed out years ago they had to pick bones up off the beach to bury them again."When climate change threatens the emotional and spiritual health of the community, that's when it gets serious."
Ms Lui said recent tidal inundation was a reminder that all levels of government needed to work closely with community to find long-term solutions to prevent islands being lost.
"I can remember where the beach was on my island and I know how far it's been eaten back," she said.
"It's real. People are getting increasingly concerned about climate change.
"We really need to look at ways to work together to find solutions and ways forward."
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