TRANSCRIPT
For Dale Langan and his family on the Gold Coast in south-east Queensland, it has not been the Christmas break they were anticipating.
“So the tornado hit on Christmas Day in the evening. And I was getting my baby down from the room up there - as the tornado hit. So I start running through the house to get down, and as I got to the top of the stairs that's when the big tree down there hit.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has been the focus of sustained criticism over the tornado, with Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate accusing the agency of failing to warn people of the storm.
Dale says his immediate concern is getting his home fixed, and the power back on, with his property one of the thousands left damaged in the Gold Coast region.
“Yeah, we need to get the assessment of the damage, and that is what we have been waiting for really. Just getting time with the crane here to get that lifted, so the assessors can get in there and do their bit really.”
But the tornado has not been the only concern for Queensland.
There's been more intense rain and multiple storms since then.
This resident, Megan Holt, says being without power still has added to their woes.
“Honestly, we were very fortunate. Our house didn't suffer much damage. We can't say the same for some of our neighbours unfortunately. But it has been tough not having - because we have to have power to have septic and water. So there's been plenty of people who don't have access to a generator. Luckily we have been able to source one.”
The rain has now finally eased in Queensland, allowing the recovery effort to begin in earnest.
And help is coming from all quarters.
Premier Steven Miles says about 50 Australian Defence Force personnel have arrived to assist with the recovery operation.
“They'll be working alongside our 1000 energy crews - energy worker crews - clearing access roads, making sure that our energy crews can get in and get power re-supplied to what are now the hardest reconnections.”
State Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Kevin Walsh says expert loggers are also arriving to help clear fallen trees.
“Our priority is teams of chainsaw operators in and around the Gold Coast hinterland and the Gold Coast itself - Scenic Rim - over the next few days, and their effort is all about removing trees off roadways, getting access into driveways, removing trees off homes, and enabling other assets... coming into those areas with greater access.”
In New South Wales and Victoria, locals in some areas have their own cleanup operations to conduct - even though there could be more damaging thunderstorms on the way**.
In Victoria, lightning temporarily stopped flights at Melbourne's airport one afternoon.
Just under 50,000 homes and businesses lost power in thunderstorms this week, with parts of Central and north-east Victoria hardest hit by fallen trees and floods, as well as giant hail.
Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology says the conditions may taken some communities by surprise - especially regional towns like Shepparton, which recorded 78mm of rain in one 24 hour period, their wettest January day in the 29 years the Bureau has been recording data.
“The overall weather pattern generating storms and severe thunderstorms is not especially unusual to see as we move into the New Year. However that said, every storm is different; every severe thunderstorm is different. And there will be some parts of Victoria which haven't picked up any especially notable or severe thunderstorms over the past couple of years. Meaning the weather they would have gotten yesterday or potentially even into today is unusual. They wouldn't have seen it for a number of years.”
In New South Wales, the SES has responded to just over 2000 incidents since just before Christmas, including 72 flood rescues across the Northern Rivers, south coast, Illawarra, and Sydney.
And in the Blue Mountains, Mayor Mark Greenhill has told Channel 9 two hikers were taken to hospital after being hit by lightning, in a storm he says developed rapidly.
“I guess the interesting thing about this is just how quickly the storm hit. There was virtually no warning, and as I say, the moment our phones were pinging with the storm alert it was already upon us.”
Meanwhile, back in Queensland, local authorities have urged residents to be patient, warning the recovery could take weeks, rather than days.
Queensland Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd says they're throwing every available resource at the cleanup.
“I know that there's still a lot of recovery work to do from the very far north of Queensland right down to the border, and we are not going to stop for a second in that recovery work. We've got experts that are with us to be able to coordinate that work through the QRA (Queensland Reconstruction Authority), and with the support of local governments and with the federal government, we will be making sure that every available set of boots are on the ground, making sure that communities can get back to the wonderful, thriving communities that they have always been.”
The State Disaster Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy, says they don't want people - wherever they are - to become complacent.
“We still have local roads shut, we still have power lines down. We still have trees down. We're trying to get these communities connected as quickly as possible before we get any further weather... So if you don't need to be in these affected areas, please don't go there.”
(** Residents have been advised to check local warnings and listen to emergency management personnel as necessary)
