The ACT emergency workers and volunteers helping with the Cyclone Debbie recovery

When ACT Fire and Rescue commander Neil Maher holidayed there years ago, he was in awe of its luscious tropical greenery.

"When I went back last week, you could see right through the houses that were once hidden by vegetation," he said.

"The trees that remained were stripped of all of their leaves, there were just all these sticks standing among the houses."

Mr Maher and ACT State Emergency Service volunteer Matt Colman are two of eight Canberrans who recently returned from north Queensland, where they assessed the damage caused by the cyclone and resulting flooding.

There were five hours between Mr Colman receiving the phone call asking for his assistance and his 2am departure from Canberra last Wednesday. They arrived just 24 hours after the cyclone had swept through Proserpine, and in the midst of a storm, which saw more than 300-millimetres of rain overnight.

Despite the rush, Mr Colman doubts more preparation would have prepared him for the damage he witnessed. He said the biggest challenges arose from working in rural areas, where many people without close neighbours were stuck on their properties.

"The damage to the crops was also quite substantial, because the severity of this storm didn't just come and go, it kept battering them for a long time," he said.

"These were places that had survived through all of the other cyclones to hit in 50 years, but were now damaged because this one was so intense and a lot more prolonged than the ones that just blow in and go away."

Over three days the team assessed the damage to help allocate and determine priority given to recovery resources. The ACT crews were part of a NSW multi-agency taskforce.

What struck both Mr Maher and Mr Colman more than the devastation was the generosity shown within the community.

Hardware store owners who could not process eftpos payments due to the power outage trusted residents to take away chainsaws and pay later, while a local man drove around with a sign on his ute reading "free driveway clearance" to help with the clean-up.

The men were equally amazed at the positive attitudes of those whose homes were gutted.

Mr Colman was assessing a house that had lost its entire back half, but the owner was simply glad to be alive.

"She said 'I've got a little gas cooker and I've got friends coming down bringing gas and we've got water, so we'll be okay'," he said.

"It was incredible."

All Canberra crews have returned from Queensland but remain on standby in case further assistance is required.