Rebuilding after the Cyclone Larry disaster around Innisfail is well under way, but a lack of tradespeople is slowing things down.

General Peter Cosgrove, who is in charge of the clean-up and rebuilding operation, told ABC Radio that insurers are doing their part to rebuild the devastated town.

“I think if you drove around you probably saw the disaster area, and probably several hundred tradesmen and women,” he said. “But we actually need more like 1000.”

One of the problems is sourcing tradespeople who have the time and resources to go and help out. Many of the available workers were booked up well before the cyclone hit.

“We know that the building trades in the area – even here in the far north – were probably up to their knees in work before the cyclone,” he said.

“Even farther south in Queensland there’s a lot of pressure on tradesmen because of the amount of work they’ve got.”

The hardest task for General Cosgrove will be to no entice tradespeople up to the cyclone area.

“And that will be the challenge – for us to get something approaching that number into the disaster area, hard at work during the dry season to weatherproof dwellings before the next wet season.”

Cairns-based broker John Tannock of John Tannock Insurance Brokers told Sunrise Exchange News many tradespeople in the area have been brought in from around Australia but many more are needed to get the town back on track.

“At the current rate I expect it to take up to two years for all the major reconstruction to be finished,” he said. “That is the extent of the damage. It will be a while before it all comes together.”

Mr Tannock agrees with General Cosgrove that the initial groundwork by insurers is complete and most claims have been lodged and processed.