In the midst of a disaster zone, a little gesture for a friend can mean a lot.

Sam Parsons knows beer is not an essential supply, but he decided to take a little risk on Tuesday to bring a crate of it to his mate, who has been left isolated by the Esk River’s carnage through Esk Valley.

Parsons, a health and safety auditor, said a friend of his has lived for about 32 years at the end of Ellis Wallace Rd, which has now been cut off, bar a single debris-covered rail bridge over the river.

Parsons, who is living at the other end of the road at the moment, has made a few crossings over the rail bridge to help bring some essentials to his friend, the most recent being a crate of beer.

 “He likes a beer, and I thought he could probably use one,” Parsons said.

He said he understood the bridge he crossed was considered to be unsafe for crossing now and he didn’t recommend it.

Parsons said that without the bridge, the only other option left to locals stuck across the river was to swim across dangerous floodwaters. Photo / Paul Taylor

“Sometimes you have got to take a risk, especially to help those on the other side,” Parsons said.

He said that until warning signage was installed, locals would continue to use the rail bridge as a crossing point - there are few other options available to them besides swimming across, he said.