Christmas Day storm: Gold Coast residents call for army help after days dealing with aftermath with no help from authorities

Residents in parts of the Gold Coast smashed by the freak Christmas Day storm say they’re physically and mentally drained dealing with the aftermath with no help from authorities.

Residents in parts of the Gold Coast devastated in the Christmas Day storm - including a family who feared for their lives as their house was demolished - say they have been left to fend for themselves.

An Upper Coomera house owned by Glenn Davidson was reduced to rubble by the violent tempest while his mother, sister and her three girls cowered in terror.

But he said the city council, the SES and firies had yet to help residents in the area as they battled to deal with the hazard-strewn aftermath.

“We put in a call to the SES three days ago and I haven’t heard s---. We need the army,” Mr Davidson said.

“I’m mentally and physically done.”

Glenn Davidson at his Upper Coomera house which was demolished by the Christmas Day storm. Picture: Keith Woods.

Mr Davidson, who was staying in a second house on his property further down the hill, said it was miraculous his sister, mum and nieces had survived their ordeal unscathed.

The five took refuge in a laundry room when the storm struck. Family friend Todd Kempshall said the girls had just jumped out of a bath tub when it too was swept away.

“The girls were in that bath tub. They were in the bath tub when the wall disappeared. They got out of the bath tub, jumped on the floor with mum and then the bath tub disappeared,” he said.

Having miraculously survived, the five had to spend the night alone on the mountainside as mates including Mr Kempshall cut a path through fallen trees to reach them.

“Todd and some mates cut a path through to them. They got through at 7.15am,” Mr Davidson said.

“The house across the road has the roof in his back yard.”

The youngest of the five has been unable to sleep since, while Mr Kempshall said they were in a highly distressed state when they were finally reached.

The remains of Glenn Davidson’s Upper Coomera house, which was demolished by the Christmas Day storm. Picture: Keith Woods.

Despite the trauma suffered by families in the area and the enormous clean-up task they have faced, Mr Davidson said they had received no help from authorities.

“I have another house down the bottom here. I couldn’t get out for the last two days because we’ve had that many trees over and I’ve had mates with chainsaws,” he said.

“We got out, I’ve got machinery and we pushed everything out. But we’ve been trying to get through everything.

“We just don’t know what to do to be honest.

“There’s a powerline down here over the road that everyone’s been driving under and I’ve been directing traffic. Now come on, do I direct traffic? For how long?

“If we lived in a rural area I would understand. But come on, we live on the Gold Coast, we’ve got that much help here.

“The only people who have helped out are the surrounding people who live here. We never saw one SES. We haven’t seen a fire truck.”

Glenn Davidson at his Upper Coomera house which was demolished by the Christmas Day storm. Picture: Keith Woods.

Mr Davidson, who said he was “mentally and physically done” after days trying to make the area safe, said enormous piles of green waste now presented a serious fire hazard.

He appealed for wood chippers to be sent before another disaster struck.

“All this fuel that’s around the place now. We’re just going to light up. We’re in drought time for the next three years,” he said.

“I was prepping for drought. My dams were empty until the last couple of weeks. Now if we do come into drought time, one person coming up this road, throws a cigarette butt, we’re gone. That’s how the last fire came.

“One idiot to drop a cigarette out and we’re gone.”

Theodore MP Mark Boothman at the Coomera Valley Rural Fire Brigade station. Picture: Keith Woods.

Theodore MP Mark Boothman said authorities had “no idea” about the scale of the crisis facing people in the area, where mostly only the volunteer Rural Fire Service had been seen out clearing roads and properties.

He backed calls for the defence forces to be called to assist.

“We have an absolute catastrophe out here. The western Gold Coast is like a war zone,” he said.

“We need help, we need any bit of resources that the state and local government (can give). We also need Federal government help.

“We need action now.

“I’ve got residents whose houses are completely demolished. I’ve got residents who have no idea how they are actually alive today after what they have actually been through.

“We need every bit of assistance that government can find.”

The call was backed by council candidate Ben Findlay after a visit to the area.

“It’s devastating out there,” he said.

“Council need to be doing more. We’ve got all the help and assistance in the suburbs but a lot of the people out here are screaming because the SES guys are tied up there and they’re getting no support out here.

“We can’t just focus on the suburbs and forget our rural areas.”

Follow @keithjwoods

Originally published as Christmas Day storm: Gold Coast residents call for army help after days dealing with aftermath with no help from authorities