Storm-damaged homes will ‘take years’ to fix

At least 10 homes have been ‘completely destroyed’ and another 556 damaged by a freak tornado and deadly storms that tore through the region over Christmas and New Year.

Damage from the storms that brought tornadoes and flooding rains to Mt Tamborine included a tree which sliced a home in half. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Homes smashed by wild Christmas storms in Queensland’s southeast will take years to repair, with the construction industry already facing material and labour shortages, Premier Steven Miles has warned.

At least 10 homes have been “completely destroyed” and another 556 damaged by a freak tornado and deadly storms that tore through the region over Christmas and the new year.

Mr Miles said restoration work from previous disasters, including Brisbane’s 2022 floods, was still under way so it would probably take “years to get everyone’s homes repaired” from recent weather events.

“The construction market continues to be challenging in terms of labour and other supplies,” he said. “We have a number of people in emergency accommodation (and) the housing department will continue to support people who need assistance with temporary accommodation while they get their homes repaired.

“We need to continue new builds as well; the housing market is constrained right now. We have seen thousands of people move to Queensland from other states and that has put great pressure on housing supply,” Mr Miles said

Most homes and businesses on the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim had their power restored at the weekend after enduring a fortnight of blackouts.

There were about 100 without power on Sunday afternoon, down from a peak of 130,000.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said a one-off payment of $1000 per adult and $400 per child would be available from Monday to help those who have suffered “some sort of significant damage to their homes” or a “serious injury” as a result of the storms.

“We understand that often insurance claims can take some time to process, so these $1000 payments will help to get Queenslanders back on their feet faster,” he said. “Other assistance is already available through the state and commonwealth governments to help with recovery costs, including $5000 grants for electricity and sewerage re­connection, up to $50,000 for uninsured homeowners to rebuild or repair, and concessional small business loans of up to $250,000.”

The damage bill from southeast Queensland storms and flooding in the far north last month is set to cost at least $2bn.