Hervey Bay hit by monster storm, claims no warning from BoM

The Bureau of Meteorology has been accused of failing to warn Hervey Bay of severe storms that dumped more than 300mm of rain on the coastal community.

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The Bureau of Meteorology has been accused of failing to warn Hervey Bay of severe storms that dumped more than 300mm of rain on the coastal community, causing flash flooding and a string of swiftwater rescues.

Located about 280km north of Brisbane, Hervey Bay was hit by the northern edge of Cyclone ­Alfred apparently after residents were told they were no longer in the firing line.

So intense was the rain, police declared an emergency situation in an effort to keep people out of flooded streets. Fraser Coast ­regional mayor George Seymour said more than a dozen people had to be rescued from their cars or houses as intense rain overwhelmed the streets and drainage system.

He said the situation was not helped by the fact they had been advised by the BOM that Hervey Bay was no longer in the crosshairs.

“As of Saturday we were outside of the cyclone watch, and we were outside of the severe weather warning area, so by the time the BOM issued a severe weather warning at 5am (Sunday), it had been raining heavily for over an hour,” Mr Seymour said.

“It has added to the problems because people were prepared for the cyclone, then they took us off the cyclone watch, they took us out of the severe weather warning area and took us out of the coastal warning area. According to all the weather advice we received, we were well and truly out of the ­situation.”

Cars are submerged in Freshwater Street, Hervey Bay. Picture: Robina Dawson

A BOM spokesman said Hervey Bay was included in a severe weather warning issued at 5am, but acknowledged the event began much earlier.

“In the 24 hours to 9am Sunday, Hervey Bay received 261mm in rainfall. Of that, 108mm fell in one hour and 233mm in six hours to 7.30am,” he said. “From 9am to 1pm Sunday, Hervey Bay has received a further 58mm.”

He said surface winds associated with the tropical low were converging around the region, and that was producing severe thunderstorms.

“Importantly, the area of surface wind convergence is not moving, and so thunderstorms are continually developing over the top of Hervey Bay, leading to high rainfall totals,” the spokesman said.

Swiftwater rescue teams sent to the town ahead of the cyclone as part of disaster planning were on hand to assist when the storms hit early on Sunday.

Mr Seymour said he had lived in the region for 20 years and “had never seen it this bad”.

“It is quite unusual because Hervey Bay doesn’t have a river, it doesn’t flood by river,” Mr Seymour. “It’s just a blessing that it’s been low tide.”

Hervey Bay was caught by surprise by an intense storm system that dumped over 300mm on the coastal community in a matter of hours. Picture: Danielle Askew

Another long-time local, John Wilson, said the storm was like a “mini cyclone” that intensified after midnight and kept going.

“It was raining hard for a few hours and then the thunder started, winds picked up and we were battered by the heaviest rainfall for about four hours,” Mr Wilson said.

“Towards the end there was some really intense lightning cracks and that’s when the power went out.”

Fellow Hervey Bay resident Murray Richardson said he was woken by thunder about 4am, followed by hours of driving rain.

“We weren’t expecting it because there’s been nothing up this way. We thought we’d avoid the cyclone and its effects,” he said.

By Sunday afternoon more than 1200 properties were without power. An Ergon Energy spokesman said crews were working around the clock to reconnect residents but access was an issue in some areas.

Mr Seymour said keeping people off the roads had been the biggest headache for the council, as residents went for a drive to check out the damage.