Some 30-40 buildings were reconstructed - this time out of concrete and in the Art Deco style.
As time went on some buildings were covered with different materials for protection against the cyclones, obscuring the buildings' artistic merits.
Innisfail was severely hit by Cyclone Larry in 2006, again causing enormous damage - but this gave the town the opportunity to be revitalised and preserved.
The Cassowary Shire Hall is one of the town's icons, as is the Queen's Hotel.
Innisfail tourism councillor Ben Heath says the town began to rekindle its love affair with the Art Deco style.
"It [the hotel] was shut down for a couple of years and then a young couple bought it. They were peeling the old tiles back and there was Art Deco sitting there. Cyclone Larry came along in 2006 with 300km winds and it ripped all the tin off the front of the Shire Hall - again, Art Deco," Heath says.
So, in a bid to seek inspiration, Heath, along with fellow Cassowary Coast regional councillor Wayne Kimberly, flew to Napier to see how Art Deco is embraced and nurtured there. The pair also wanted to develop a rapport with Napier City Council and the city's Art Deco culture.
"We're not here to reinvent the world, we're just here to see what you do and see what can suit us," says Heath.
Chairman of Planning Kimberley was impressed by the strong relationship between the Art Deco Trust and Napier City Council, and hopes to encourage the same thing back home.
"We just know that you've done so well over here and you've nailed it in terms of how to promote your product, we've seen how the council are just so on-side with the Art Deco Trust, which is very important to make anything work.
"We don't want to steal ideas - we just want to get it right and we really hope this is the first part of a long-term relationship with Napier councillors, as well as the Art Deco Trust."
Heath and Kimberley witnessed the vibrancy of the Art Deco capital over their few days in Napier: they went to the Bootleggers Ball and on city tours, saw vintage cars and jazz bands, and had high tea and visited costume shops.
"We got on the Art Deco bus and hooned on over to the movies in Hastings," Heath laughs.
"Everyone has been so welcoming and we'll definitely be promoting your town and product because we get how it works here and we want to do the same thing."
Like Napier, the Cassowary Coast Regional Council is hoping to utilise its architectural assets and possibly develop a sister-cities project with Napier.
"There is a direct correlation with the earthquake and the cyclone - there are a lot of stories that can be told and related to," Heath says.
"This is not something we could have done by phone or email, it's something we needed to experience for ourselves and connect to."