Rejoice! TC Debbie looks to have blown in an even better Whitsundays. Here’s why...

You’ve gotta love silver linings.

After TC Debbie quite literally gave North-East Queensland the ‘blowjob’ it never asked for, there has been speculation as to what this means for the near future of the region.

Sadly, there has been a lot of focus on the damage that was caused to the area, with not so much focus on its regeneration, and the bright, positive future of the Whitsundays.

To start with, the Queensland and Federal governments have donated $10m to help promote the area, with $7m of that amount to assist local businesses and offering to help rebuild them.

Although some of the exclusive resorts that inhabit the island paradises have been scathed, there are lots of overdue renovations on old properties which will now take place.

Hamilton Island chief executive Glenn Bourke has stated that “in the long term, it (Cyclone Debbie) has been a good thing. It has been the momentum for us to do the works that were required anyway.”

In the main street of Airlie Beach (the heart of the Whitsundays), many tired businesses are receiving some much needed makeovers with the addition of some great new operations, which will have a notable effect on tourism coming into summer this year.

Managing Director of Spring Break Whitsundays Ryan Aitchison had this to say. “The success of our event is built of the marketability of the region. Although the region is still as beautiful as ever, the rewards will follow when the improved infrastructure comes into play.”

Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association president Tony Brown suggested that after the cyclone, the “water quality has increased” around the area and that there was a 10% increase in coral regeneration since the last cyclone hit (Yasi in 2011).

Satellite images provided by NASA show new greenery around the Whitsundays in the wake of the storm, as opposed to the brown and barren looking image of the area from just four months previous.

As well as this, the cyclone could have had positive effects on the tainted Great Barrier Reef.

The great winds and clouds which covered the lower part of the 2,300km long reef had cooling effects, which could have defended against bleaching in the southern section - whilst stopping further damage to the underwater wonderland.

When splitting the reef into three sections (northern, central and southern), an aerial survey by Terry Hughes, the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies showed: that 81% of the northern sector was bleached as opposed to only 1% of the southern.

Hughes stated that if Debbie had hit the northern reef it could have prevented mass bleaching in the damaged area.

Although the cyclone hasn’t completely eliminated the bleaching - it definitely added a layer of protection in what are dangerous times in the reefs life.

“Cyclone Debbie looks like the turning point to allow the Reef to bounce back from this mass bleaching event,” said marine biologist Jess Walker. She explained that the cyclone has lead to “less stress on the coral” and “less chance of bleaching.”

Despite the damage of Cyclone Debbie; the Whitsundays region is pulling through strongly, with vast support from the government and the neighbouring Queensland communities; the area will quickly bounce back to become a better Whitsundays.

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