Qld weather: Adrian Schrinner raises questions about emergency alert delays
Free clothes and washing and drying services are among the generous gifts being extended to flood victims as the Brisbane clean-up continues. STORIES FROM GROUND ZERO
QLD weather news
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD weather news. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Mud Army will be good to go first thing tomorrow morning, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner revealed on Friday, as he said stay-at-home advice had been “devastating” to the community and raised questions about emergency messaging.
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE STORIES ON THE ONGOING CLEAN-UP
“It’s really good news we can get the Mud Army out there,” Cr Schrinner said.
“The news yesterday of this stay-at-home advice was devastating because so many people were keen to get out. They wanted to be out today, they wanted to be out over the next three days, a big weekend of cleaning up.
“But we’re glad we can get out tomorrow morning.”
He said the rapidly changing situation and unpredictable weather meant the advice today could change, however for the time being the Mud Army will roll out tomorrow morning.
Cr Schrinner said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was faced with a tough decision when issuing stay-at-home orders and closing schools for most students across the southeast.
“Look, it was a tough call,” Cr Schrinner said.
“I saw the BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) advice, like many people, and it was covering anything from a small amount of rain to massive life-threatening flash flooding and dangerous thunderstorms and hail.
“It was a tough call for the Premier to make, it was a tough call for the State Government to make. But people’s safety must come first.”
Ms Palaszczuk confirmed the Mud Army reactivation in a tweet this afternoon, after earlier apologising for yesterday’s false alarm.
Queensland, I’m pleased to report that tomorrow at first light the Mud Army 2.0 can resume the clean up 💪
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 4, 2022
Asked about the delay of emergency communication to those who would be impacted by floods, Cr Schrinner said the wait time in issuing emergency alerts was unacceptable.
“This is not a Brisbane City Council system, this is a national system operated by State Governments available for them and local governments to use,” Cr Schrinner said.
“But those delays are unacceptable. It is not appropriate that if urgent advice needs to get out, it is arriving five, six, seven hours later … There are questions that need to be asked about this system and how it can be sped up.
“Yesterday information came to light which was very concerning … I was advised during the day we had joined the queue to put a message out on the early alert system, and some people were getting that five, six, seven hours later – after we had asked the message to be sent.
“ … I think there’s some questions that need to be asked about why it takes so long to get those messages out.”
He said looking forward, the Mud Army would return to work tomorrow morning, providing rain stays away.
“We want to get this waste cleared out as quickly as possible,” Cr Schrinner said.
He also announced a $5000 upfront quick payment to sporting clubs who have been impacted by the flood.
“That’s just to support them with the clean up costs, I know there will be other damage that needs to be addressed down the track, but this is a fast way of helping clubs with the clean-up costs,” Cr Schrinner said.
He revealed that across the 190 suburbs of Brisbane, not one suburb had been unaffected.
Cr Schrinner said the flood event was different to 2011 and had this time impacted many more parts of Brisbane.
About 13,000 people had signed up to volunteer to the Mud Army through the BCC website, however there were other groups and volunteering sites also contributing to the number of volunteers.
Givit is the official Queensland Government charity partner, while numerous other major charitable organisations are also collecting funds and items for flood victims.
FREE WASHING AND DRYING FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
Mobile washing machines and dryers are helping flood-impacted people get back on their feet today at Windsor in Brisbane’s inner north.
The large orange truck from Orange Sky has been making its way around Brisbane today to give people an opportunity for free washing and drying.
The truck was decked out in just 12 hours last night after the group realised how many people needed vital resources after the week of rain and flooding.
Co-founder Nic Marchesi said it was always part of the plan to get into the community during the floods.
“It’s just what we’ve always done for the past seven years,” he said.
“Cyclones, floods, fires, we’ve always been here to help people with their washing and hopefully save them from just throwing clothes out.”
Since Monday, Orange Sky has completed more than 440 loads of laundry and provided 13 warm showers to people affected by the floods.
But it’s not too far from home for the truck which usually travels around town to help the homeless with their washing and providing warm showers.
Tomorrow, the truck will head to Gympie to spend several days helping more remote areas get access to daily essentials.
SOUR NOTE: PIANO STORE LOSES $1M IN STOCK
Over $1 million worth of pianos have been destroyed by floodwaters, as a strong current pushed its way into Australian Piano Warehouse in Milton and tipped pianos of over 300kg on to their sides.
According to store manager Garry Smith, 120 pianos were destroyed at the weekend, at an estimated price of over $1 million.
Some of the destroyed pianos were worth over $60,000 each.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” Mr Smith said.
“I came in on Saturday evening and we were shifting some stock. We got back in at 4am Sunday morning and water was coming in the door… by the time we were leaving the water was up to our knees, it was coming in very quick.”
He said some replacing the 120 pianos that had been destroyed would be a very difficult task.
Mr Smith said transport issues relating to Covid-19 and other stock shortages would make it difficult to replace the destroyed pianos.
“It will be weeks before we’re up and running again,” he said.
FREE CLOTHES FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
With Brisbane’s clean-up well under way, a local op shop has put their hand up to help any way they can.
Studio Thrifty 4 in Bowen Hills today opened their doors to hand out free clothes to those impacted by the floods.
One of the directors of the charity store, Rebecca Lucre, said even though the shop was also impacted by about 300mm of water, the clothes thankfully stayed dry.
“The water reached the bottoms of some of the dresses. But we have things out the back drying now and then if anyone needs anything, they can just have it,” she said.
Due to the damage, the shop is still technically closed over the weekend, but Ms Lucre said anyone in need should send the store a message on Instagram.
“Just shoot us a message and we will organise a time for you to come in and get some things,” she said.
Despite organising their own clean up, Ms Lucre said the charity still wanted to help where they could.
“It’s what we’re here for and it’s just a time when people need help,” she said.
“There’s people who lost everything and a lot of people aren’t insured. It’s just so sad.”
Those who need help should contact Studio Thrifty 4 via their Instagram page.
ALBION FAMILY CLEANS UP WITH YOUNG BABY IN TOW
Bowen Hill parents Shannon White and Liam Thompson evacuated their home on Sunday afternoon with their baby Goldie and their two dogs all in tow.
At the peak of the flooding, Mr Thompson returned to the house to check on their cat who they’d left in the bathroom in hopes the water wouldn’t rise that high.
“I parked at the end of the street and walked down into the flood waters until it reached chin level,” he said.
“I had to turn around then because it was too dangerous.”
Mr Thompson stayed until he saw the flood waters start to drop, thankfully before it reached the top level of his house.
“We definitely slept much better that night knowing our top level would be safe,” he said.
The couple watched small flood levels rise over the weekend before their neighbour Julie Fahye knocked on their door on Sunday afternoon warning them to leave.
“We we’re picking different areas to measure, first it was a big rock, then it was the keep left sign and then when it crept up three of our steps really quickly we decided to leave,” Ms Fahye said.
The neighbours all waded through the waters to safety at the top of the street.
Now the clean up is well underway with Ms White saying it was proving quite difficult while taking care of a baby.
“We’ve had heaps of people come over and help which is great. It’s a bit hard because she (Goldie) just needs attention,” she said.
HOMELESS VOLUNTEER HELPED OUT BY CHARITY
Kindness has come full circle for this young Vinnies volunteer who found herself homeless after the floods inundated her home this weekend.
Jacinta Corkeron, 23, was forced to swim out of her two storey Windsor house with her two roommates on Saturday night after waters rose a metre into the second level.
“It happened so quickly when the water started coming into the top level. We just didn’t think it would get that high. We grabbed a bag each and put the cat on the surfboard and floated out,” she said.
A visible line of dirt across the top level windows on the raised house has shown the severity of the flood.
“Everything we own is basically on the street now to be thrown away,” she said.
The group of three girls were left homeless within hours of the flood washing away their belongings including a fridge, all of their beds and plenty of clothes.
With no where else to turn, the group moved into a hotel, which added to the list of growing costs, before now temporarily moving into a friends house.
Ms Corkeron has been volunteering consistently since 2019 at Vinnies to help youth struggling with homelessness, and now it’s time for Vinnies to return the favour.
“I think we think of homelessness just as people who live on the street, but there are so many layers to it and anyone can be homeless in a second. Just weeks ago I was speaking at schools about homelessness and now I’m in that situation myself,” Ms Corkeron said.
On Friday, Vinnies delivered a food-filled hamper as part of the Flood Appeal organised by the charity.
CEO of Vinnies Queensland Kevin Mercer said the appeal would help with day to day essentials but also with providing long term support.
“Once the initial shock of losing everything starts to settle, thousands of Queenslanders will need to rebuild their lives from scratch – a process that can take years,” Mr Mercer said.
“Our Appeal isn’t just about providing help now, but also to ensure when people are ready to finally return to their homes, they can have the support, furniture, appliances and other household essentials they need to start again.”
According to Mr Mercer, a donation of $58 could provide emergency groceries and essential items, while $340 could help re-equip a home that has lost everything with needed essential items.
“Again and again, we’ve seen our communities come together to help each other in times of great need,” he said.
“If you’ve been personally impacted, while it can be daunting to seek help and you may have never needed to ask for help before – please know we are there for you.”
If you would like to donate to the Flood Appeal call 13 18 12 or visit vinnies.org.au/QLDFloodAppeal22
AUCHENFLOWER TRADIES LEND A HAND
The generosity of strangers and community spirit of Queenslanders has again shone through in the southeast, with an entire workforce turning up to flood victim’s homes in order to lend a helping hand.
The Mud Army may officially not have taken to the streets yet, but on Vincent St in Auchenfower, the troops were out in force.
Kieran Lewis and his dad own JDL Construction in Nundah, and on Friday they had a team of 12 donating their time and manpower to the cause after one of their own building sites got flooded.
Following tools down on the site, the team of tradies from JDL moved quickly to help others in need.
“We’re lucky enough to have a few guys working for us so we’re going around helping others out,” Mr Lewis said.
“There are a lot of people in a lot worse situations than we are, and many hands make light work. We are just trying to help out how we can, that’s all that is.”
Mr Lewis said his team of 12 were helping a street of strangers in the Auchenflower area on Thursday when rains battered the southeast and caused flash flooding through low lying pockets.
“Everyone who lived around here had already gone through their things after the flood and had salvaged everything they could, and then the storm came through and everything they’d salvaged got knocked out,” Mr Lewis said.
“It’s terrible, it’s just awful. Terrible.”
Mr Lewis said once the Mud Army comes through tomorrow, it will make a big difference to the clean-up.
It comes as some people throughout Brisbane’s inner suburbs have asked the Mud Army to stay away.
Residents along Torwood St stuck signs to their properties “Mud Army. Please do not enter. Insurance purposes,” one sign said.
Mr Lewis said, however, most people had been very appreciative for the help and the JDL Andrew Brady said watching the rain pelt down and flood his Auchenflower street on Thursday was enough to break even the strongest of people.
Although the community’s spirits were dampened, it’s the upbeat attitude of Mr Brady and others like him that have kept the neighbourhood powering through.
“What Mud Army? We’re creating it ourselves,” an upbeat Mr Brady said.
Today was the second day Mr Brady directed a team of workers along Vincent St, going door to door to clear homes of debris and discard destroyed belongings.
“I’ve just got people working their way through the street. Strong people, people with gernies and other equipment cleaning the streets,” Mr Brady said.
He said today’s reprieve in weather was “amazing,” but he refused to get ahead of himself following Thursday’s flash flooding.
“When the water went down, people got over that emotional journey, but when the water came back up, it broke the strongest of people,” he said.
“So you know what, as I’ve said to everyone, every time the water comes up, we’re going to do it again. Because every night people can fall asleep knowing their home, which is their palace, is clean, sparkling and they can rest easy.”Construction team were there to lend assistance to the people who required it.
New emergency alert as Far North braces for second coming of biblical flood
A second deluge of up to 300mm is set to pound Far North Queensland, with flood warnings for half a dozen rivers and more than 140mm of rain recorded overnight in some parts.
Freak ‘wall of water’: Inside Brisbane’s battle of 1893
In a freakish turn of weather Brisbane flooded three times in February 1893, leaving a third of the population homeless and claiming the lives of 35.