Massive clean-up underway as businesses reopen across Hervey Bay
The people of Hervey Bay were scratching their heads on Monday: how did this happen? More than 1400 homes were without power and 1600 properties flooded in a freak weather event nobody saw coming, and some of the hardest hit have been its most vulnerable. PHOTOS, VIDEO
Fraser Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fraser Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
More than 1400 Hervey Bay homes could be without power for days after the city was hit with a wall of water on Sunday that inundated 1600 properties and left countless residents stranded and displaced.
The freak rain bomb struck in the pre-dawn and took everybody by surprise, after days of cyclone warnings failed to deliver anything at all.
The good people of Hervey Bay retired on Saturday night expecting an uneventful end to their weekend, with 25mm of rain expected the next day - what they got instead was up to 500mm.
An extraordinary arc of storms linked to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred hundreds of kilometres away struck about 4am, dumping 261mm (the official tally) between 4am and 9am, then another 60mm+ throughout the day.
The official total was far lower than what some residents reported recording, with tallies of 400mm and 500mm claimed.
The flash flooding drowned cars, pushed into 1600 homes and businesses, and forced the evacuation of 32 elderly residents to a higher level of their aged care facility in the wee hours of the morning.
For McKean Road resident Pamela Truscott, 75, the event was devastating, and surveying the damage to her home on Monday proved too much as she broke down and cried.
Mrs Truscott has lived in her townhouse for five years, and said she was “absolutely terrified” on Sunday morning when water started flowing into her home.
“I have never been through anything like this in my life,” she said.
“I was watching the news on TV when all of a sudden, my feet were wet. Next minute it was up to my ankles, then it was up to my
shins. It just came in so quickly and was bubbling through the bricks. I lost everything.”
Ms Truscott said her fridge was pulled from its socket and fell over from the power of the water.
Her cabinet was next to fall over, holding her brand new TV.
“I was on my own, absolutely terrified,” she said.
Ms Truscott detailed that her rent recently increased as well, which led to her cancelling her home and contents insurance.
“I had to pay my rent, which has left me with no insurance.”
A keen seamstress and crochet enthusiast, Ms Truscott unfortunately lost her passion project that she re-taught herself after some
serious health issues.
“When I had my stroke, I had to teach myself how to sew and crochet again. It’s very tough to lose that.”
Most businesses were cleaning up or opening their doors by Monday morning, when the emergency declaration was lifted. Shocked residents could be seen crying as they retrieved what they could from the ruins of the flooding.
The shift from response to recovery coincided with a minor flood warning on the Mary River, which empties into the sea at Maryborough right next door.
Civic leaders including Mayor George Seymour, LNP MP David Lee and Police and Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie addressed the media, promising the Premier’s advocacy and the imminent arrival of defence personnel to help with the clean-up.
Mr Seymour said no drainage system would have been able to cope with the amount of water dumped on Hervey Bay in such a short time.
“It came on very, very quick and very, very hard with the way it fell,” he said.
It had “really tested our community”.
Mr Lee visited Sugar Coast Village, which was hit by a metre of flood water, and where 32 residents from the bottom level of Parkland Residential Aged Care nursing home were evacuated to the second level at 6am on Sunday.
“So, you can imagine the trauma for the residents and the pressure on the hardworking staff to actually get all those 32 residents who all have different degrees of mobility up on that second level,” Mr Lee said.
He said the weather warnings had focused on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, and Hervey Bay had been taken by surprise.
“So it’s hard to say whether people became complacent about it. But mother nature’s highly unpredictable.
“We had such a beautiful, fine day on the Saturday, so it was hard to predict which way it was going to go.”
Mr Lee said Premier David Crisafulli was well aware of the issues in Hervey Bay and would be advocating strongly for the city and any assistance that could be provided.
He said about 300 homes were impacted at Urangan.
One woman’s car was extensively damaged by the floodwater, and Hervey Bay RSL was closed on Monday due to flood damage.
Mr Lee said he had been into the RSL and there was extensive damage to the floor coverings on the lower level, but their military memorabilia was believed to be safe.
A post on Hervey Bay RSL’s Facebook page said patrons would be kept up to date on when the business would reopen.
The RSL’s planned event for Saturday, Sheeran Out Loud, had to be cancelled because of the damage down to the business by the flash flooding event.
Mr Purdie addressed media at the Hervey Bay Police Station on Monday.
He said it had been a tough 24 hours for the people of Hervey Bay and thanked the first responders for their rapid response.
Police from Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Gympie had been sent to the city to help.
Australian Defence personnel were also on their way, as well as more State Emergency Service members.
In addition, the government was in the process of setting up a community hub for people to access services, he said.
Mr Seymour said the community had “moved from response to recovery and a lot of that has to do with damage assessment” on Monday.
More than 1600 properties were being assessed by fire and emergency services, and the SES had received more than 400 calls, which they were still responding to, he said.
Meanwhile, police have released footage of officers conducting door knocks in Hervey Bay, as well as evacuating a woman who was trapped by rushing flood waters on Sunday.
Footage from bodycams of QPS officers trudging through dangerous waters to check on residents in low-lying areas, before helping an elderly lady with an oxygen tank evacuate her home and transport her to Hervey Bay Hospital.
A BOM spokesman said 261mm of rain was recorded in Hervey Bay as the city was hit with flash flooding on Sunday, while in 24 hours to Monday morning, 62mm fell.
A refuge centre was set up at the Hervey Bay Baptist Church at Nikenbah.
On Monday, a minor flood warning was issued on the Mary River for Gympie and Dagun.
Star of the Sea Catholic School and Bayside Christian College confirmed on social media they would be closed on Monday.
In a post, Star of the Sea Catholic School said there had been flood damage to about 70 per cent of its classrooms.
Hervey Bay State High School also suffered damage.
A post on the school’s Facebook page said while it would remain open on Monday, it would be for student supervision only, with regular classes being suspended.
On Monday, Stockland Shopping Centre in Pialba reopened after it closed on Sunday in response to the emergency declaration, with major stores within the centre trading.
A spokeswoman said not all businesses at the centre would be open on Monday.
Pialba Place Shopping Centre was also open on Monday despite extensive flooding in the car park on Sunday.
Bay Plaza was closed on Monday and was set to remain closed until it could reopen safely following flooding in the car park, a post on the centre’s Facebook page read.
Eli Waters Shopping Centre is set to open at 9.30am after closing on Sunday due to flash flooding in the area.
A post from the centre said entries into the building would be limited to allow workers to attend to wet areas.
At Urangan Central, Woolworths was open and trading as usual.
After closing on Sunday, Hervey Bay Airport reopened on Monday morning, with passengers urged to check directly with airlines for flight times or disruptions.
Nikenbah Waste Facility, which was closed on Sunday, was also set to reopen on Monday from 1pm.
A post from the council said bin collection was expected to run as usual this week.
On Sunday, the Fraser Coast council urged Hervey Bay residents to conserve drinking water for essential use.
“The Urraween drinking water pump station was damaged during Sunday’s wet weather,” a post from the council read.
“We’re asking residents in the Hervey Bay drinking water service area to conserve water for essential use and clean-up until repairs are completed.”
Water remained safe to drink, the post read.
“Water treatment plants have not been impacted, and council continues to actively monitor and manage water quality across the network. “Council crews are on-site assessing the damage and co-ordinating repairs at the pump station, but at this stage, we don’t yet know how long it will take to fix.
“Customers may also experience reduced water pressure compared to normal service levels.
“We appreciate your patience and co-operation while we work on the repairs.”
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service said the community health facility at The Village in Pialba had experienced some flooding in the weather event.
“We are working hard to provide some of our services from alternative locations,” the post read.
“If you have an appointment for community outpatient mental health and AODS clinics, cardiac and community rehab (including physiotherapy, dietitian and nutrition services), or child health (including immunisation), we will contact you to reschedule.
“Please do not come to The Village as there may not be staff there to help you.
“Our child health drop-in clinic will not be operating from The Village this week.
“We will let you know as soon as we have an alternative venue. If you are concerned about your child or baby’s health, please contact 13 43 25 84 for advice.
“If it is urgent, please contact triple-0 or come to the emergency department.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding as our staff work hard to make sure the facilities are clean and safe.”
The Priceline Pharmacy outlets at Stockland, Pialba Place and Eli Waters were closed on Monday, while the outlet at Urangan was still operating.
More Coverage
Originally published as Massive clean-up underway as businesses reopen across Hervey Bay
‘Difficult to forecast’: BOM’s response, explanation for Hervey Bay’s ‘rain bomb’
As a freak storm left Hervey Bay in the middle of a flash flooding disaster on Sunday, many were left wondering why they didn’t get more notice. This is what BOM said:
Flood warning on Mary River after 390mm falls in coast hinterland
A minor flood warning has been issued on the Mary River at Dagun, Gympie and Tiaro after moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded across the river catchment since Sunday morning.
WATCH: Roof collapses in rain as residents demand answers
Hervey Bay residents are demanding answers over the effectiveness of the council’s drainage system after flash flooding inundated homes and businesses.
Gympie council hits ball to Fraser Coast in Munna Ck solar farm issue
The Gympie council has distanced itself from the $160million Munna Creek Solar Farm, rightfully pointing out that it had no say in the approval of the project and no obligation to fund road repairs near it, but that it did share the concerns of residents.
Fraser Coast sale and auction results, week ending March 9
Urangan proved to be a hot market last week with seven properties selling for a total value of $5.5 million. See the latest auction and sales results.
‘Everything’s gone’: Vows to rebuild after Alfred wreaks havoc
Yola Ashfield was part of the flood rescue team that responded to the devastating Lockyer Valley floods in 2011. Now she’s counting the cost of heavy rains on her own doorstep.