Severe storms wreak havoc across Gympie: photos, video

10,500 homes lost power for hours across the region on Thursday night as trees were torn down and the launch of the Heart of Gold film festival was hit by a series of severe storm cells. See the photos, watch the video:

One person was left pinned under a shed door and trees were torn from the ground as severe storms ripped across the region on Thursday evening, leaving thousands of residents without power.

Fireys were called to a private home at Baroona Ct in Tamaree about 5.40pm following reports the person had become trapped.

They managed to free the resident, who was then taken to Gympie hospital in a stable condition with a leg injury.

A mature flame tree was ripped from the ground at Memorial Park in the severe storm that struck about 5.30pm Thursday October 27.

Ten thousand homes, Gympie Central Shopping Centre and major Bruce Highway intersections, were left powerless by the storm cell, which struck the western outskirts of the city shortly before 5.30pm, before travelling across to the coast.

The highest rainfall was at Gympie, which received 26mm.

G0oomboorian received 22mm, and Fisherman’s Pocket recorded 10mm of rainfall.

Tony Robinson captured workers trying to clear tree across Yurol Forest Dr shortly after storms rip across region on October 27, 2022

At Yurol Forest Dr near Pomona cars were banked up while residents, including some with chainsaws, frantically worked to remove a tree which had fallen across the road.

A microburst of powerful wind brought down trees on Eel Creek Road and at the top of Exhibition Road, and disrupted the launch of the Heart of Gold at the Showgrounds, where an outdoor stage and hay bales had been set up for the 100-strong crowd.

Event organisers and staff were forced to move everything inside, and managed to do so only 10 minutes before the storm struck.

The late afternoon storm left a trail of destruction ion its wake when it rolled across Gympie.

In the Mary Valley the owners of the Kandanga Hotel were forced to clean up a tree which fell across their businesses’ car park.

They thanked a “group of locals” who helped clean the fallen tree up and allow business to resume as of 10am Friday.

The owners of the Kandanga Hotel took to social media to thank a “group of locals” who helped clear a tree which was torn out and fell across their business’s carpark during the storm.

A QFES spokeswoman said SES crews were called to a dozen incidents across the Gympie and Noosa regions on Thursday evening.

Part of the fence around the Gympie showgrounds was demolished when an uprooted tree fell across it during the storm.

An Energex spokesman said about 10,500 homes lost power, and a 10m tall flame tree in Memorial Park was ripped out of the ground.

Event organisers for the Heart of Gold film festival were forced to frantically change plans and move equipment inside when the storm struck as they were about to begin celebrations.

Small pockets of the region, including near Kandanga and Pomona, were still without power early Friday morning.

Torrential rain accompanied the late afternoon storm which rolled across the Gympie region.

The spokesman said it was hoped all electricity would be restored by Friday afternoon.

Heart of Gold organisers were forced to move their equipment out of the way of the severe storm.