Brisbane residents assess damage after cyclonic winds cause carnage

Brisbane residents have relived their horror after massive gum trees crashed through roofs and destroyed family homes during cyclonic winds, while others battle rising floodwaters.

Joyner residents Steve and Jo Warren had a massive gum tree fall on the roof of their home.

South East Queensland residents have relived their horror after a massive gum tree came crashing through their family home during cyclonic winds last night.

Steve and Jo Warren, of Joyner in City of Moreton Bay, had a 35m gum tree crash through the roof of their Fairlane St home as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred hammered the southeast with category 1 winds.

After the wind started to pick up the couple brought their dog inside and were watching television, when they heard a “loud bang” around 10.45pm.

“We then found a tree that had actually landed on the roof of our house,” Ms Warren said.

“It was pretty scary, the noise was so loud, we knew that something had fallen on the roof, but we thought it might just be some branch. not a whole tree.

The couple outside their home.

“The winds that we had last night., they were incredible, they were so loud, it was very much like a cyclone, it’s pretty scary.”

Ms Warren added that their home suffered significant damage and ultimately the roof caved in over the kitchen and living area.

“We had a massive hole in our roof that water was just coming in through,” she said.

“We noticed that the roof was leaking, but unfortunately that then led to a cave in from our roof.

“We’ve had so much rain, there was just nowhere for it to go.

The damage was significant.

“We couldn’t get up there because it was unsafe and we’re now getting some tarps up there to hopefully stop the water coming through the house.”

While Mr Warren said he was thankful to be alive and uninjured, he was frustrated at the government.

“”The government and government organisations need to talk to each other and not have contradicting stories of what to do and what not to do,” he said.

“This is what no one predicted, so it is what it is.

“We’re alive, we’re happy, and we’re insured.”

In Eatons Hill Shane Rout couldn’t sleep due to the howling winds when he heard a “big crunch” and the house shake at around 1.20am.

Shane Rout had a huge gum crash into the roof of his Eatons Hill home.

“We had a massive wind gust, then we heard a little bit of a crack, and then about two or three minutes later, another wind gust, then we heard a whooshing sound, and then just a big crunch, the whole house shook, and a 35 metre gum tree landed all over us,” Mr Rout said.

“It honestly sounded like a train, the first gust was enormous, everything just shook.

“It just came straight through, the intensity was next level.”

Mr Rout said while his roof was significantly damaged, the solar panels and satellite dish were untouched.

“We can stay here which is a good thing, so the roof is not going to collapse, not at this stage,” he said.

“We’re getting the tree removed by a crane because it’s too heavy.”

Mr Rout paid tribute to Queensland Fire Department firefighters and State Emergency Services personnel that rendered assistance.

“The fireys called in first, just to make sure we were okay, because they were doing a drive around and to check on us,” he said.

Joyner residents Jim and Anne Franklin had a large tree fall across the driveway and take out the guttering of their home.

“Then the SES guys have turned up and they were fantastic.”

Jim and Anne Franklin had a large tree fall across the driveway and take out the guttering of their Joyner home at about 10.15pm.

“We were both asleep and I woke up to a big thump,” Mr Franklin said.

“I wondered what it was and thought there must have been a tree down somewhere, so I came out the front and saw this big tree down the front of our place,” Mr Frankin said.

“It was one of ours so I am glad it fell our way and not the neighbours.”

Ms Franklin described the winds as leading up to the moment as “terrifying and really loud”.

“In the build up before we went to bed, it was just cyclonic, unbelievable,” she said.

“I was a bit worried, I had hoped that trees wouldn’t come down.

“We were unlucky, but lucky, it couldn’t have fallen in a better spot, we’ve lost a bit of guttering, but there doesn’t appear to be any internal damage.”

Suburban streets in Brisbane’s north were seeing the impacts of Alfred’s aftermath throughout Sunday.

By 1.30pm Taylor, Victoria and Northey Streets were inundated with water quickly rising.

Wilston siblings Annabel and Maddy Sawley said they were concerned for new residents who didn’t know the area was a flood zone.

“We will be okay we are higher up the road, it is more those people who don’t know it is a flood prone area,” Annabel said.

“It isn’t as bad as previous years, like in 2022, but it is still pretty crazy how quickly the water comes up.”

Maddy said most people had already prepared their homes in case of torrential rain.

“A lot of people have left their houses or moved their stuff. Everyone knows it is a flood zone,” she said.

Tania Mann on Victoria st Wilston. Picture: Annette Dew

Wilston resident Tania Mann said water had risen in her home downstairs quicker than the floods in 2022.

“We are currently moving all our valuable items to the top of the house, we went under in 2022 and we were raised one metre,” she said.

“We are hoping we don’t get impacted the same.

“It took 20 minutes for the water in the backyard to get in under the house (this morning).

“But yeah it is coming up quicker than what it did in 2022.

“We had already moved everything on Wednesday because we were anticipating, from all the warnings, that there was going to be a lot of water.

“It was pretty concerning when we saw it coming up from Victoria Street, we knew that it was going to come through here.”

Allie Hickey and Sam Stocks on Victoria Street. Picture: Annette Dew

Windsor couple Allie Hickey and Sam Stocks had only lived in Victoria St for the past year and had never seen the water rise as high as it had on Sunday.

Ms Hickey said she attempted to drive to work at 6am but decided to turn around when she saw water at the end of the street.

“I stayed home and then four hours later the water was already way up the street,” she said.

“We have heard that the water had gotten into the car park of our apartment building in 2022, but yeah we have never seen it like this.

“A lot of the surrounding people have been warning us to move our cars and keep an eye out if we lose power or have the water shut off.

“We have been watching neighbours pack up and evacuate all day.

“Northey Street has been under water for the past few hours and all these side streets have started to flood really quickly.”

Ms Hickey said the wind and rain they had experienced over the past two days had been “crazy”.

“That rain has been so heavy for the last 24 hours but obviously has been the worst we have ever seen,” she said.

“We will probably be stranded for a little while, I know that we are waiting for high tide at the moment.

“So we will keep an eye on it and hope for the best.

“We are pretty lucky that we are a couple stories up but we have sort watched everyone else go under and we are feeling really quite bad for them.”

Originally published as Brisbane residents assess damage after cyclonic winds cause carnage