The far north Queensland community of Wujal Wujal is more than a home for Kathleen Walker.
She's one of 300 residents who were evacuated from the Indigenous community in December when Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused record flooding in the region.
The community is a place of cultural and spiritual connection for Ms Walker, and being away has taken a toll.
"The wawu - wawu means the spirit - is still there (in Wujal Wujal) with our ancestors and our old people, our parents in the cemetery," she told AAP.
Ms Walker said not knowing when she could return to her community had left her "heartbroken".
"Every morning when I get up I say to my son 'I want to go home'," she said.
"This is where my heart is."
More than a third of the homes in Wujal Wujal were inundated with water when Jasper hit the state's far north, cutting off power, water and sewerage in the community.
Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Josh Paterson said the community was still dealing with the impacts of the disaster.
"The whole event started with great trauma: people's houses were flooded, people were rescued off roofs," he said.
"The trauma of the initial event is magnified when you're evacuated completely out of your home and everything you're familiar with."
The majority of the evacuated Wujal Wujal residents remain in Cooktown and Cairns.
Mr Paterson said there might be a long wait ahead for some people to return to their homes.
"We're looking at two months already, and potentially it could be up to six months for some people, or for some maybe years before they return to Wujal Wujal," he said.
Wujal Wujal resident Marie Shipton has been staying in Cairns since the community was flooded, and said she was looking forward to going home, but only when it was safe to do so.
"We want our houses to be clean and don't want to get sick with all the bacteria and germs (from the flooding) inside our house," she said.
