The army is on location at the 4KZ transmitter site in Innisfail helping to restore the two 121 metre masts which were brought down by Cyclone Larry.

This is being regarded as an essential task so emergency information can be broadcast to people in the entire decimated area. The stations translators are all fed from the site so they are also currently down.

Announcer Robert Blackmore told radioinfo: “We hope to get a signal out within 24 hours but this is far from guaranteed.”

The two on-air studios came through unscathed but the back half of the building has suffered roof damage. Mains power is still out and the station is running on diesel backup. Blackmore told us: “Getting oil deliveries is the problem. Supplies around here are very limited. There are long queues at the service stations.”

The station is currently transmitting on their low power – low reach narrowcast frequency of 873 which is normally run as 4AY Country Classics.

Kool FM, Blackmore said, is on but only in “spits and spats”