Severe thunderstorm warning issued for southeast Queensland
Despite earlier fears they may be stranded at school overnight, nearly 200 schoolchildren have made it home safely as floodwaters failed to peak as quickly as feared. FULL RAINFALL FIGURES AND SCHOOL CLOSURES
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GYMPIE school bus operator, Polleys Coaches says the 170 students it normally transports between the Cooloola Coast and Gympie schools got home safely this afternoon.
This was despite threatening flood levels in Coondoo Creek, which blocks Tin Can Bay Rd whenever the bridge goes under.
Bus line owner Warren Polley had been fearful the firm’s Cooloola Coast school buses would only be able to run as far as Goomboorian and Kia Ora.
The flood level reached just under the bridge.
In a minor reprieve for the rain-hit southeast, a severe storm warning for Logan, Scenic Rim and the Gold Coast has been cancelled.
At 3pm, the weather bureau said the threat of thunderstorms had passed, although moderate to heavy falls are expected to continue across the southeast.
Meanwhile, an emergency alert remains in place for residents near the Coomera River on the Gold Coast.
An evacuation centre has been opened for flood-impacted residents at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre at 35 Beattie Rd, Coomera.
Meanwhile, a major flood warning has been issued for the Logan and Albert river catchments at Beenleigh.
It follows a slow-moving system overnight that dumped up to 230mm on the region.
SCROLL DOWN FOR A LIST OF THE MAJOR RAINFALL TOTALS
Coombabah in the Gold Coast received 58mm in just one hour today.
FLASH FLOODING WARNING FOR BEENLEIGH, LOGAN RIVER
ROAD CLOSURES: FLASH-FLOODING CAUSES TRAFFIC CHAOS
BUSHWALKER FEARED MISSING IN FLOOD WATERS
As the Oxenford Weir continues to rise — recorded at 3.02m at 3.44pm (it was incorrectly reported earlier as reaching a record-breaking level of 8.5m) — it has caused closures of multiple roads within Oxenford, with parts of the Old Pacific Highway and Kopps Rd being inundated with water, and is getting increasingly close to residential houses and the back of Warner Bros Movie World.
Emergency text warnings have been sent to Oxenford and Coomera residents asking them to “consider moving to higher ground”.
Meanwhile, just south of the border, the Tweed Shire has been declared a natural disaster area as floods result in multiple landslips and damage to roads.
Overnight, heavy rain pelted the southeast, with the Sunshine Coast one of the worst hit areas.
At 4:20am the Sunshine Coast Airport had received 231mm, Coolum 216 mm, Woombye 209mm and Nambour 200mm since 9am Wednesday.
Also in the region, Yandina received 100mm, Doonan Creek 165mm, and Tewantin 155mm.
RACQ has received 928 claims for homes and vehicles damaged by floods and storms over the past week.
SCHOOLS CLOSED ON GOLD COAST
Several schools on the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads were forced to close this morning because of flooding.
Mt St Patrick College in Murwillumbah is closed today due to rising waters, while Currumbin Valley State School, Tallebudgera State School, Tweed River High School and the Pacific Coast Christian School in Tweed have also been closed due to localised flooding.
Both Tamborine Mountain High School and Tamborine Mountain College remain open but are expecting fewer students due to road closures on the mountain.
Palm Beach and Currumbin State High had also issued warnings to parents that further heavy rain may force the closure of the schools.
The flooding has also forced the closure of theme parks Dreamworld and Movie World.
In a message to visitors on social media this morning Movie World said: “Due to severe weather and flooding, Warner Bros. Movie World will be closed today for the safety of our guests and team members.”
The move comes just a month after the theme parks were forced to close due to another flooding event, which also blocked the M1.
EVACUATIONS CARRIED OUT AS BUILDINGS FLOOD
Overnight SES crews received some 320 calls for help, while 19 swift-water rescues had to be carried out and two complexes were evacuated, including a nursing home.
About 30 residents from Estia Health Facility on Suncoast Beach Drv in Mount Coolum were evacuated by firefighters about 10:30pm on Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries.
Rescue teams also responded to a flooded unit complex in Mount Coolum which also had to be evacuated.
Fast-flowing water inundated the basement of the Spinnaker Drv complex about 12:20am on Thursday.
There were also reports of a sinkhole at the complex.
There were no reported injuries and a structural engineer will attend the building to determine its structural integrity.
Desley Lloyd-Jones told 9 News it was a “frightening night”.
“It was so dark last night we had no idea how high (the rain) was last night,” she said.
“It was quite high through the house.”
Brianna Vantilburg was at her partner’s house in Glenview when floodwaters started streaming inside.
Ms Vantilburg said she hadn’t “experienced flooding and rain like that since the Brisbane floods.”
“Once we saw the water streaming in from the corner of the room, I was pretty worried it would get worse,” she said.
“But, as we started mopping the water and emptying the buckets, the rain slowed down.”
The property has been spared from any major damage.
Meanwhile, a man became stuck in floodwaters in his car on David Low Way and Tanah St East at Mount Coolum just after 11pm on Wednesday.
Crews were able to safely retrieve the man.
Huge downpour on the northern Gold Coast has rapidly flooded creeks and rivers. Authorities continue to remind drivers, if it’s flooded – forget it. https://t.co/9m4tx7aDuM #qldweather #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/9ervlfin3I
— 7NEWS Gold Coast (@7NewsGoldCoast) February 13, 2020
State Emergency Service volunteers also launched a flood boat at Mooloolah last night to help a property owner rescue a group of horses and bring them to higher ground.
SES controller Brendan Caseman said the incident, which happened about 8-9pm, had been the most unusual in a night of drama centred around Maroochydore, Nambour, Caloundra and Coolum.
Surface water encroaching on homes made up 80 per cent of the 105 calls Mr Caseman’s crews received in the course of the evening with the remainder for leaking roofs.
A high tide building to 1.9m at around 11am was set to bring fresh problems for emergency response teams although the main focus of the rain event has now shifted to the south.
Mr Caseman said a flood rescue boat from the Nambour SES was used to take the Mooloolah property owner across to higher ground.
An exhausted Ray Trinder of Maroochydore SES said his unit had been going hard every day for the past few days, with last night’s torrential downpours bringing a fresh round of issues.
“We’ve been sandbagging with water coming up through people’s yards,” he said.
“There was a lot of fear about what may happen.
“There were leaky roofs and skylights around Maroochydore, Buderim, Kunda Park and we helped out in Nambour which really copped it.”
In Brisbane a large tree fell at a home in Chandler yesterday smashing through a fence and scraping the neighbour’s house.
Toni McCarthy said the tree was literally bogged out of its socket with the amount of rain that has swamped their property.
“I was at home and heard the crash. Raced down worried it was my horses, but they were fine. Then noticed the tree,” Mrs McCarthy said.
“It fell across our neighbour’s yard through the fence. Luckily, there was no damage except to the fence and garden.”
Mrs McCarthy blames the uprooting on the previous hot and dry conditions and the recent down pours.
“We’ve had nearly 500ml of rain in the last week,” she said.
Further south, a primary school-aged boy nearly drowned yesterday afternoon after he was swept into a river on the Gold Coast.
Water covering the footpath managed to drag the boy into the river before his mother rescued and saved him about 4:40pm.
The incident happened at Weedons Crossing Bridge in Gilston in the Gold Coast hinterlands.
The boy suffered minor head injuries before being taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital.
The Coomera River is raging.. and there is plenty more water flowing in from flooding up at Tamborine. @7NewsBrisbane @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/EgHM9emSjx
— Bianca Stone (@Bianca_Stone) February 13, 2020
Localised flash flooding was affecting the Gateway Motorway at various locations overnight including Belmont in Brisbane’s southeast after parts of the city received more than 100mm.
Several other roads across Brisbane have also been impacted by flooding, including Mount Gravatt-Capalaba Rd, between Tilley Rd and Moreton Bay Rd and Gap Creek Rd in Kenmore Hills and Gympie Rd, northbound at Carseldine.
RACQ this morning confirmed they’d had almost 700 insurance claims after homes were flooded and 128 claims for damages to vehicles relating to the wet weather over the past week.
FULL LIST OF ROADS IMPACTED BY FLOODING
MORE RAIN TO COME
According to Bureau of Meteorology Forecaster Peter Markworth the rain isn’t done with the southeast yet.
“There is still a high chance of showers and thunderstorms today but most of the heavy stuff passed overnight,” Mr Markworth said.
Brisbane can expect between 20-60mm today, Gold Coast 20-50mm and the Sunshine Coast between 10-35mm.
With Cyclone Uesi approaching the bureau has also issued hazardous surf warnings for numerous areas along the coast.
“There are currently no thunderstorms warnings but there is hazardous surf warning from Fraser Island to the Gold Coast,” Mr Markworth said.
A flood watch remains in place for southeast catchments between Bundaberg and the NSW border, with the Burnett River, Burrum and Cherwell Rivers, Mary River, Noosa River, Sunshine Coast Rivers and Creeks, Pine and Caboolture Rivers, Upper Brisbane River, Lower Brisbane River, Logan and Albert Rivers, Gold Coast Rivers and Creeks all likely to be impacted.
WHOLE TOWNS GO UNDER WATER
Two homes are confirmed to have been submerged by floodwater that flowed through Jandowae yesterday and there are fears another three were severely affected.
Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh said authorities would not know the full damage bill until the water subsided.
“We just cannot access parts of the town,” he said.
The small town, west of Toowoomba, was put on high alert yesterday after more the 260mm of rain fell upstream.
By 11am the Jandowae Creek swelled to 2.5m, breaking its banks and flooding most of the town.
A tropical low is hurtling towards the east coast, bringing strong winds and a monster swell.
— Nine News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) February 13, 2020
For the latest on the weather system: https://t.co/X4nvn7tNTq @maccolahan9 #9News pic.twitter.com/d6enBteZUk
Contract pilot Glen Little took to the sky in his helicopter to survey the scene.
He guessed this flood was deeper than the one in 2011.
“I was talking to a mate and he has the 2011 level marked on his home,” Mr Little said.
“This flood was higher.”
Several flood warnings also remain in place across the state including a major flood warning for the Condamine River and Charleys Creek, and Georgina River.
The Bureau of Meteorology says major flood levels are possible along the Condamine River at Chinchilla Weir and Charleys Creek later in the week.
RAINFALL TOTALS (SINCE 9AM)
BRISBANE AREA
Calamvale 34mm
Salisbury 51mm
Archerfield 34mm
Inala 41mm
Corinda 37mm
Rochedale 60mm
Mt Gravatt 59mm
Holland Park West 53mm
East Brisbane 43mm
Eight Mile Plains 43mm
Wishart 56mm
Mansfield 61mm
Chandler 82mm
Bulimba 58mm
Carindale 63mm
Camp Hill 54mm
Hemmant 81mm
Lytton 107mm
Ransome 88mm
Manly 94mm
Wynnum 88mm
Pullenvale 38mm
Kenmore Hills 38mm
Toowong 44mm
Rosalie 50mm
Enoggera Dam 65mm
Mt Coot-Tha 69mm
Ithaca Creek 53mm
Alderley 67mm
Bowen Hills 58mm
Brighton 104mm
Upper Kedron 53mm
Mitchelton 57mm
Toombul 78mm
Hendra 76mm
Brisbane Airport 108mm
Luggage Point 132mm
Frank Sleeman Park 108mm
Geebung AL 94mm
Everton Hills 62mm
Aspley Reservoir 80mm
Deagon 107mm
Bracken Ridge 90mm
IPSWICH AREA
Redbank Plains 21mm
Bundamba 25mm
Ebbw Vale
Six Mile Creek 26mm
Collingwood Park 26mm
Springfield Lakes 19 mm
Carole Park 29
Wacol 31
LOGAN AREA
Greenbank 23mm
Forestdale 31mm
SUNSHINE COAST
Ewen Maddock Dam 229
Sippy Downs 128mm
Sunshine Coast Airport - 232mm
Tanawha 161mm
Pelican Waters 137mm
Upper Bells Creek 177mm
Landsborough 179mm
Glasshouse Mountains 88mm
Eerwah Vale 111mm
Poona Dam 142mm
Coolum 216mm
Nambour 200mm
Palmwoods 195mm
Eudlo 168mm
Maroochydore 140mm
Picnic Point 122mm
Double Is Pt 25mm
Mt Bilewilam 93mm
Mount Elliot 111mm
Boreen Point 87mm
Lake Cooroibah 132mm
Mount Tinbeerwah 157mm
Tewantin AWS 150mm
Tewantin AL 155mm
GOLD COAST AREA
Upper Springbrook 131mm
Springbrook 119mm
Little Nerang Dam 96mm
Tallai 68mm
Numinbah Valley 80mm
Hinze Dam 75mm
Clearview 83mm
Carrara AL 108mm
Mt Nimmel 96mm
Bonogin 117mm
Worongary Creek 92mm
Neranwood 112mm
Mudgeeraba 126mm
Boobegan Creek 117mm
Evandale 138mm
Biggera Ck Dam 107mm
Loder Ck Dam 121mm
Loder Creek 119mm
Air Sea Rescue 120mm
Gold Cst Seaway 116mm
Burleigh Waters 149mm
Upper Tallebudgera 97mm
Oyster Creek 135mm
Tallebudgera Ck Mouth AL 130mm
Tomewin 150mm
Coolangatta 134mm
Murwillumbah 20mm
Binna Burra 72mm
Illinbah 60mm
Tyungun 51mm
Canungra Army 52mm
Beechmont 60mm
Mt Tamborine 52mm
Oxenford Weir 65mm
Monterey Keys 87mm
Pacific Pines 64mm
Coomera Shores 104mm
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:
* Never drive, walk or ride through flood waters. If it’s flooded, forget it.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
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