Revealed: Map shows the suburbs ignored in Operation Clean-up after Christmas storm

Entire suburbs smashed with storm and flood disaster debris were initially not included in the City’s Operation Clean-up, forcing concerned councillors to intervene. See where the ‘holes’ were

Entire suburbs smashed with storm and flood disaster debris were initially not included in the Gold City City Council’s Operation Clean-up site, forcing concerned councillors to intervene.

Division 5 councillor Peter Young mounted direct pleas for attention in Gaven, Maudsland, Pacific Pines and Nerang whilst Division 9 councillor Glenn Tozer did the same for parts of his hinterland area.

They contacted City CEO Tim Baker along with his senior bureaucrats after a confidential email from Mr Baker had gone out to councillors about the operation.

Separately, some councillors said “the map has got big holes in it”.

Hinterland suburbs west of the M1 were ignored as the focus was first put on the Helensvale-Coombabah-Paradise Point stretch worst impacted by the Christmas Eve tornado.

A map showing the focus of Operation Clean-up by the Gold Coast City Council after the Christmas storm.

Cr Young has reassured his residents after the Operation Clean-up website went live Monday showing where the green waste kerbside program would occur.

“Unfortunately the program published reveals just two streets in the entirety of Division 5 - Binstead Way and Pitcairn Way in Pacific Pines - identified for the kerbside program and neither have any homes fronting onto the street,” he wrote on Facebook.

“In effect not a single home in Division five has been identified for a green waste pick up. I became aware of this draft program of works via a confidential email from the CEO on Saturday afternoon.

Kriedeman Road, at Upper Coomera, after Gold Coast City Council workers completed a clean up after the Christmas storm.

“I subsequently wrote and spoke with him five times and on Sunday I spent the entire afternoon driving around almost the entire Division collecting evidence and listing streets where property owners have duly presented voluminous quantities of green waste on the kerb for collection as has been the City’s advice for the past 10 days.

“I submitted a list of about 50 streets to the CEO and his staff (Sunday) and these are receiving attention - trucks are servicing Pacific Pines streets right now.”

Cr Young said he expected kerbside collections would take place in several other streets which he identified including Gaven, Maudsland and Nerang.

“So please don’t despair your street does not appear on the map published today,” he wrote.

Kriedeman Road at Upper Coomera before the clean up.

Residents are being urged to go to City website citygc.au/cleanup to register their address.

Cr Tozer late on Monday met City staff to help improve the clean-up after his Division 9 also missed priority coverage.

“The green waste collection will come into Division 9,” he later told reisdents.

But Cr Tozer urged impacted property owners to contact his office to ensure a co-ordinated one-off collection from their street.

In launching Operation Clean-Up, Mayor Tom Tate called it a “once-in-a-generation sized storm clean up” that would involved clearing 75,000 truckloads of debris.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Donna Gates has reached out to senior bureaucrats to focus on Wongawallan, the rural suburb west of Oxenford, calling it “an absolute nightmare”.

Wongawallan was one of the worst affected along with Upper Coomera in her northern division, she said.

“The power has only been restored on the weekend. We’ve seen an amazing recovery effort. It has been extraordinary,” Cr Gates said.

“The administration knows they have missing streets. It’s a moving feast and we will ultimately get to everyone who has a need. If a street is missing, you can contact me directl and we will arrange for it to be investigated immediately,” she said.

Operation Clean-up by the Gold Coast City Council and the streets along with suburbs targeted after the Christmas storm.

“No-one has been this level of destruction in 20 to 30 years. This has been the worst event we have suffered as a city in memory. It will take time to fix.”

A City spokesperson said Operation Clean up would focus on the most highly-impacted areas. “More than 1000 streets in 24 suburbs have been included in the kerbside collection service, which covers more than 600km of public roads,” the spokesperson said.

“If your street doesn’t appear and you have storm-related debris requiring collection, please go to the Operation Clean Up webpages to register your interest for an on demand collection or call council for more information.”

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