Leading the way in cyclone recovery

February 16 2011

Destruction ... Silkwood State School, between Innisfail and Tully.

The remaining eight state schools closed as result of Cyclone Yasi reopened on Monday February 14 just 11 days after the Category 5 storm hit North Queensland.

All independent and Catholic schools were also open.

At Tully State High School, eight temporary classrooms and a toilet block were installed to accommodate students prior to reopening on Monday.

In total, 346 State, Catholic and independent schools closed their doors on February 2 as communities bunkered down in preparation for the cyclone.

Many were able to reopen quickly once the immediate danger had passed, while some schools in the hardest hit areas remained closed due to damage or loss of essential services such as electricity.

Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson said it had been a smooth return to the classroom for students at most of the schools affected.

Safety checks were carried out at all schools impacted and essential services were restored, and no major issues were reported at the schools which reopened on Monday.

Mr Wilson said many schools in the region were damaged, strewn with fallen trees and other debris or lost services such as electricity in the cyclone.

'I'd like to thank school staff, parents, P&C and P&F groups, students, emergency services, volunteers, the Queensland Catholic Education Commission, Independent Schools Queensland, QBuild and the Department of Education and Training for their efforts to get schools back up and running,' he said.

'I know parents, teachers and students would welcome the return to the classroom after such a traumatic event.

'Schools are the heart and soul of our communities and after the cyclone, we saw school communities come together to ensure students could continue on their learning journey as soon as possible.'

The Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE (Palm Island campus) is open, operating from the Palm Island Senior campus until further notice.

All other institutes in affected areas are open.

More information and a list of the schools which reopened on Monday are available on the Department of Education and Training natural disasters website.

Information including advice for affected communities and useful contact details are available on the Queensland Government's Cyclone Yasi website.