No easy fix as 3000 without power and hundreds of houses flooded
More storms are on the way with warnings they could result in flash flooding in Logan and Brisbane, where the damage bill is expected to be billions of dollars. WATCH OUR VIDEOS
Logan
Don't miss out on the headlines from Logan. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Logan residents are out assessing damage after the Logan River peaked overnight, inundating 44 homes and forcing 24 people to take refuge in an evacuation centre.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the flooding in Logan looked to be as least as bad as in 1974.
His comments came before QFES Assistant Commissioner Kevin Walsh warned of more rain on Thursday and Friday.
Commissioner Walsh said his team, along with SES volunteers, was bracing for another deluge.
“Some areas within the Logan area have had more damage than the 74 floods … some locals have said some patches are much more damaged than then.
“The river system is providing us with significant issues … but we still have a couple of days ahead and our precautions is really focused on the weather that will come through on Thursday and Friday.
“It’s been a big team effort and we have many days ahead of us but we have plans in place,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Albert River was experiencing minor flooding but renewed rises were expected overnight on Wednesday with more flooding and rain forecast for Thursday.
Widespread rainfall totals of 400mm to 800mm were recorded across both the Logan and Albert catchments.
The Logan River was still experiencing major flooding hitting 6.9m overnight on Tuesday with experts waiting to see if levels would exceed that.
At Waterford, the Logan River peaked at 11.15m around 3pm on Tuesday, March 1.
The peak was above the 2017 level of 10.6m.
The major flood level for the river is 9m.
More than 140,000 homes were without power over the past week across the southeast, with about 30,000 still not reconnected.
Energex spokesman Danny Donald said reconnecting power was not an easy fix with repairs “slow and dirty work”.
Rankin MP Jim Chalmers assured affected residents that help was on its way, once the waters receded.
“You are not on your own, there is help available,” he said.
“ … Don’t be in a rush and don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
“Neighbours are looking out for neighbours … it’s a difficult time (when the waters recede) for people to take stock.”
He warned people near Princess St at Marsden to stay out of the waters.
A woman who went to inspect Henderson Creek at Jimboomba last night was rescued from flood waters at Cusack Lane after going out to take photos of the rising waters and ending up in neck-deep water.
She was able to call for help on her phone but police said she was lucky.
A QFES swift water rescue team was able to reach her and get her to safety by 4am.
Logan City Council will send out engineers to assess the worst hit areas and the council hoped the Mount Lindesay Highway and Teviot Rd at Greenbank would reopen this morning.
Mayor Darren Power said he expected more houses to be reported flooded today and has called for flooding modelling to be updated.
He said the worst areas were Carbrook, Waterford, Beenleigh and Eagleby, and rural areas where many of the houses were built before 1974.
Major roads into Beenleigh remain cut as does the Beenleigh-Redland Bay Rd at Carbrook, the main thoroughfare into Redland City from Logan City.
On Tuesday, the Logan River exceeded the 2017 levels and was nudging the 1974 flood level and Cr Power said he expected more reports of flooded properties on Wednesday with modelling suggesting 200.
“The chances are that a lot more houses went under and they just have not notified us yet but we were expecting 200 on the flood models,” he said.
“People have quite a few days to prepare for this and we have been giving out warnings but we did have 24 people at the evacuation centre overnight on Tuesday.
“We really have to do an assessment to see how many existing homes are in the flood zone. Those models might not be up to date and a lot of people may have relocated their house on their property.
“We did learn a few things from this and we are going to recalibrate and prepare for the next one because of climate change, we know there will be more to come.”
The Logan River has been slow to release overnight with reports that waters from the upstream catchment near Beaudesert and Jimboomba were just starting to hit Waterford on Wednesday morning.
Cr Power said there were still many isolated communities throughout the city with officers planning to get out to Logan Reserve and Flagstone taking supplies of freshwater and talking to families to find out the flooding issues.
Officers will assess the flood areas around the 44 houses that went under and will try to get supplies to isolated communities today.
Last night, officers went to Logan Reserve which has no electricity and no water.
A Beenleigh family still has an anxious wait as the Logan River, which started swamping their home on Monday, continues to rise and was set to peak at possibly its highest ever level.
Logan is experiencing its worst flood in four decades — if not in history, with confirmation that rainfall exceeded the deluge in 1974, the state’s worst flood on record.
Logan City Council and state representatives held a disaster management meeting on Tuesday to discuss how to deal with the aftermath of this week’s floods.
On Tuesday night, the Logan River was still rising with a high tide at 10.39pm along with water from upstream at Beaudesert flowing into the catchment.
At 7pm it was at 6.59m and rising with an expected peak of about 6.9m.
It is expected that at least 200 households will be flood-affected with Logan council making its calculations using data from houses flooded in the devastating 2017 deluge.
In January 1974, floods across the southeast caused nearly $1 billion in damages, destroyed more than 8000 homes and killed 16 people.
Nine people have died since these floods started on Thursday, February 24 but the damage bill is yet to be determined with the Logan River set to peak at high tide on Tuesday night.
At Bethania, residents recorded more than 1000mm of rain over the four days.
At Waterford West and the Larry Storey Bridge, the water rose to more than 11.15m, during Tuesday well above the 2017 flood level of 10.60m but still under the 1974 flood level.
With a high tide at 10.39pm, the water level could exceed the 1974 level.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the record rainfall was greater than 1974 across parts of the southeast, with some of those areas in Logan.
In Logan, Beenleigh, Bethania, Eagleby, Holmview and parts of Loganlea were the worst hit with insurance claims from the area estimated to rocket, doubling the 5600-plus registered after the devastating 2017 flood.
However, Beenleigh mother-of-three Kylie Fulop said she was not covered and feared the worst with flood waters inundating the first level of her Omaru St house.
“We’re not insured for flood because that was too expensive at $20,000,” she said.
“We have not heard from any government authority to see if we are okay.
“We have no power, no hot water and no gas and it could be days before that’s fixed.
“The damage will be in the thousands.”
The family has registered with Volunteering Queensland for the Mud Army to help and is expecting to apply for the $1000 flood relief payments for Logan residents and $400 for children.”
Mayor Darren Power said 19 properties had been inundated and many more had been isolated.
Cr Power said 4000 properties could expect to be without electricity for days, worse than in 2017.
To add to people’s woes, more than 200 roads were closed across Logan creating traffic chaos especially in Beenleigh which was cut off by flooding on three sides.
The township, which is surrounded by the Albert and Logan rivers, was in gridlock throughout the day with peak-hour traffic from Brisbane banking up to the northern M1 turn-off.
Cr Power said the city had been expecting massive flooding on Sunday night with predictions for a one-in-200-year flood.
But he said less rainfall on Sunday night brought the statistics down to a one-in-50-year flood.
“It’s still bad but nowhere near as bad as what we thought it was going to be,” he said.
The council opened up an evacuation centre at Crestmead with 19 people from Maclean and Munruben staying overnight.
More were expected overnight on Tuesday and the council had two drop off centres.
Logan Hospital is still blocked off with access only from the Logan Motorway.
The surprise side hustles earning more than teachers and nurses
Gig workers are raking in pay packets 50 per cent higher than teachers or nurses, who say their wages have fallen. Check our PAY TABLE
Brothers in alleged record cocaine bust bailed for big bucks
Two Qld brothers who police allege played a role in Australia’s biggest ever cocaine bust are back in the community but not without a price and a long list of conditions. LATEST.