Guanaba families’ cry for help after Christmas Day storm, New Year’s Day flooding
A Gold Coast family devastated by wild storms and flash flooding say they are still waiting for urgently needed help: “It came up so fast we had no way to get out.”
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Families devastated by the freak storm on Christmas Day followed by the New Year’s Day floodwaters sweeping through their homes say they have nothing left to return to.
Lauren and Michael Buljan’s Guanaba property was barely left standing after last week’s cyclonic storm brought down trees and ripped the roof clean from their shed.
They were still waiting for the SES to come and help with their clean up from that weather disaster when water engulfed their home early on Monday morning from the New Year deluge.
“It came up so fast we had no way to get out. We’ve been here 15 years and lived through floods before but this was like nothing else,” Mrs Buljan said.
“The water from Tamborine Mountain was over the road before we knew it and within five minutes the creek up the back burst its banks. Within 10 minutes the water was through our house.”
The couple and their 10-year-old autistic son have been without power, internet and mobile phone reception since the Christmas Day storm. They had no way of knowing the torrent of water that was heading downstream. When the flooding was inside their home, Mrs Buljan said they couldn’t ring for help.
“My son turned to me and said ‘Mummy when can we get up the tree?’ But he wouldn’t climb up there without his support dog.
“It was just a river right the way through. About an hour later we finally got a text message warning about the water.”.
The family were eventually rescued from their flooded home by emergency services and spent the night in accommodation.
On Tuesday the Buljans returned to their storm and flood-ravaged home.
Mrs Buljan said: “I just can’t look at it. We’re not OK and we’ve been forgotten. It’s been eight days, the council have come past, we’ve seen SES and Energex but no one will help us. Just f**king help us.”
The Buljan family are just one of countless across the Hinterland living in badly damaged homes, and in complete darkness.
SES and emergency services returned to the area on Tuesday afternoon warning residents they could receive more intense rain and flash flooding on Tuesday night.
The area is a site of complete devastation. Roads have been peeled away by the strong current of recent flood waters, hundreds of power poles are down, roads remain cut off and people are isolated.
Mrs Buljan says the response to the devastation so far was nowhere near enough.
“I haven’t stopped crying for a week. Where is the army? Why is it taking so long? We’ve had two natural disasters in a week.”
Senator Murray Watt revealed 50 army troops will be coming to the Gold Coast which Mayor Tom Tate has called a “good start”.
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Originally published as Guanaba families’ cry for help after Christmas Day storm, New Year’s Day flooding
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