Qld flood insurance bill tops $700m

The insurance repair bill from Queensland’s floods has climbed to nearly $700m in just days, with the full extent of the damage yet to be ­realised amid the threat of more severe storms.

Queensland’s floods have racked up an insurance repair bill of nearly $700m in just days, with the full extent of the damage yet to be ­realised amid the threat of more severe storms.

“Unstable” conditions have been forecast for the southeast for the next 24 hours, with residents urged to stay home where possible and monitor emergency alerts.

Despite the strong warnings last night, the forecast for the region was partly cloudy with the chance of showers and the chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe.

The region’s saturated rivers and creeks, full from the weekend deluge, are at risk of flooding again, with even a small downpour.

Last night, Brisbane was forecast to have up to 45mm, while the Gold Coast could have a maximum of 70mm and Sunshine Coast 30mm.

Flooding at Rocklea. Picture: Liam Kidston

The flood disaster has already racked up an estimated insurance bill of about $900m across Queensland and NSW, according to the Insurance Council of Australia.

Of the 60,163 claims already lodged, 76 per cent were from Queensland, putting the estimated impact at $684m – though the figure is based on previous disasters and is expected to rise as more claims are lodged and assessors are able to drill down on the specifics.

Queensland’s death toll from the disaster is nine and 17,000 homes and businesses have been damaged.

Authorities are still searching for a man in his 70s who fell off a boat into the Brisbane River near Breakfast Creek on Saturday.

ICA chief executive Andrew Hall said the disaster was unfolding and it was “still too early to predict where it will end”.

At 11am on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said the southeast was facing a “very dangerous and potentially life threatening situation” for the next 24-48 hours.

BOM meteorologist Laura Boekel said at the midmorning press conference that unstable air and lots of moisture were causing the wild weather, warning some areas could get up to 150mm of rain.

Ipswich floods. Picture: Liam Kidston

Last night, bureau spokeswoman Lauren Pattie said there was still an upper low in place but rainfall rates could be lower.

“We still have an upper low in place and because of that there’s still a risk of seeing showers and storms again,” she said.

“There’s a little movement to the storms and so because of that, the rainfall rates are perhaps, shall we say, a little less than we’ve seen of late.

“But because we’re saturated, that’s still a risk that will cause flash flooding. So even though slightly lower rainfall totals, they will be causing flash flooding.

“Certainly a risk of storms again tomorrow and a risk of those being severe.

“It’s more likely that we’ll see those storms in the afternoon period, so starting in the afternoon. So kind of back to this, shall we say the standard for Brisbane where you see the afternoon storms popping up.

“Still a few more days of a risk for the Brisbane and southeast region.”

Brisbane floods seen from the sky. Picture: Liam Kidston

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was important that everyone monitored the weather alerts.

“This is a serious situation and these are unprecedented times,” she said. “I’ve lived in Brisbane essentially all of my life and I haven’t seen storms and floods like this all being thrown at us at once.”

She asked people whose homes had flooded not to return to those homes in the next 24 hours, saying emergency services did not want to have to rescue people again tonight in rising waters.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the ground was saturated, which meant flash flooding was to be expected in many locations.

“Extraordinarily serious, dangerous and life threatening, please be extremely careful out there,” she said.

The warnings followed violent storms in areas of the southeast on Thursday morning, with 48mm of rain being dumped on Brisbane’s CBD in just 30 minutes.

The short intense falls led to water rising in low-lying Brisbane suburbs Corinda, Fairfield and Auchenflower.

Flooding in Jindalee. Picture: Liam Kidston

Devastated locals had been one day into the clean-up when the waters rose again. Large piles of furniture and housing materials sat outside homes waiting for residents to determine what could be salvaged.

The storms and rain also prompted authorities to evacuate Grantham, in the Lockyer Valley, on Thursday, with reports that the flood ­sirens sounded midmorning.

Shelves at many supermarkets are expected to remain empty for days, with limited produce and meat available after the flood event and subsequent road closures.

The federal government on Thursday announced a $434.7m disaster funding package for NSW in partnership with the state, with Queensland still in discussions about its package.

The Bundaberg, Goondiwindi and Western Downs council areas have been added to the list of areas activated for the federal one-off financial help worth $1000 per adult and $400 per child.