Gold Coast: Flood devastation after raging bushfires, hundreds of SES callouts made

First it was the fires, then coronavirus and now floods – hundreds of SES callouts have been made to Gold Coast homes after extreme weather lashed the city. 

FIRST it was the fires, then coronavirus and floods.

Mount Tamborine resident Mark Andrew is now waiting for a famine, or snow.

The operator of the Curtis Falls Cafe spent all of yesterday cleaning up flood water after his business copped the brunt of the torrential downpour on Thursday.

“Tamborine has been hit by everything, everyone has been hit up here,” Mr Andrew said.

“We have had the fires last year, then they stopped most of the tourist buses because of the coronavirus. It’s not just the flood that got us.

“The mountain has really, really suffered as a victim of it all, Next it will be snow.”

Flood waters surround Livingstone Christian College on Thursday. All classrooms remained dry.

GOLD COAST ON TRACK TO RECORD WETTEST MONTH EVER

Rainfall over southeast Queensland in a 24-hour period exceeded 100mm in some areas. The local dam catchment received more than 300mm.

Mr Andrew, a resident on the mountain for more than 15 years, said he had never seen such power in the flood waters that engulfed his cafe this week.

“We had a big week of rain, every couple of years we get these downpours but this one was huge.

“It just started bucketing down, but within minutes it had taken over the whole road.

“In all the years I had seen it, this was the fastest, most ferocious.”

Mr Andrew said he was still calculating the damage to his business.

“There is mud everywhere. It isn’t just that, it is the staffing, wages and trading days.

“We want people to come back and visit us. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. Unfortunately sometimes we are a victims of that beauty.”

Water on Mount Tamborine outside of the Curtis Falls Cafe

YANG CHEN GOES MISSING AT TALLEBUDGERA VALLEY

Across the Gold Coast to Logan the SES received 334 call outs from midnight Thursday, 206 of which came from the Gold Coast. Another 34 were from the Scenic Rim.
As of yesterday, 21 jobs were still being managed by volunteer crews.

“We had in excess of 60 volunteers working in the region because of the flooding and heavy rainfall,” SES regional manager Wayne Hepple said.

“Most of the jobs were leaky roofs, collapsed ceilings and/or flooding into homes.

“Through all of this we have been helping out with the search for the missing woman in Tallebudgera.”

Emergency services will today continue the search for Yang Chen, 26, who was reported missing near Gorge Falls on Wednesday morning.

Ms Chen disappeared near a potentially treacherous waterfall in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Police have been trying to determine whether she fell, became lost or walked out on to Tallebudgera Creek or Springbrook roads.

Polair was able to search the area until yesterday morning as weather conditions were too dangerous.

Ms Chen is described as of slim build with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who may have seen Ms Chen, or with more information, is urged to phone Policelink on 131 444.

SEVERE STORM WARNING ISSUED AS SCHOOLS CLOSE, ROADS FLOOD

Raging water at Curtis Fall Mt Tamborine

Elsewhere, Cedar Creek School was inaccessible for a second day and remained closed.

City officers also worked through the evening on Thursday to manage the stormwater that entered the city’s 3439km sewerage network.

Ninety-one pumping stations were overflowing.

Hinze Dam is now 98.5 per cent full with 306,028 megalitres and Little Nerang Dam is 102.4 per cent, with 6863 megalitres.

A spokesman from the Bureau of Meteorology said thunderstorm activity was likely over the next few days, but it would be isolated.

“There is a slight risk of heavy falls but only in small areas, nothing widespread expected,” the spokesman said.

Wet weather is forecast to continue into the next week until a southerly change on Wednesday.