Thousands of people remain without power today after a savage storm ripped through the western suburbs of the region.
And according to latest information from authorities, many will be waiting until just before new year to get it back.
Making matters worse, further storms are being predicted tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Emergency Services have issued a warning for people to stay away from fallen powerlines and avoid damaged roads and be aware of fallen trees.
“Emergency services are working towards accessing affected areas and residents are asked to only travel in the area if necessary,” the warning said.
Cedar Vale and Cedar Grove, Yarrabilba, Flagstone, Crestmead, Cornubia, Eagleby and Jimboomba were all hard hit by the outages in the Christmas night storm which brought heavy winds and rain.
While minor outages at suburbs such as Shailer Park and Slacks Creek are expected to be up and running again tomorrow along with those in Crestmead, the Christmas storm is likely to leave many homes powerless until either Saturday or Sunday, December 30-31.
Eagleby residents for example, are likely to be waiting until Saturday, and Yarrabilba and Jimboomba residents looking at Sunday until power returns to normal.
Logan City Council is working closely with emergency crews to help clean up the damage.
Some roads have also been cut and there has been flooding in some parts of the Logan River upstream of Yarrahappini.
Residents are urged to take caution while the clean-up is underway.
Key information includes:
- Fallen power lines can be reported to Energex on 13 19 62.
- Road debris and road closures can be reported to Council on 3412 3412. All non-urgent requests can be reported at logan.qld.gov.au.
- Logan City Council waste contractor Cleanaway has advised that some bins may not be collected as scheduled today due to storm damage blocking access to some streets. If safe to do so, please leave your bin kerbside and it will be collected as soon as possible.
- To assist with clean up, residents are able to dispose of storm related waste at Council’s transfer stations at no cost. This includes green waste (i.e. branches, leaves, etc), spoilt food, storm damaged household items, and uncollected wheelie bin waste. Council’s waste facilities are expected to be very busy, and it is recommended residents arrive before 9am or after 3pm.
- Flooding is reported in the Logan River upstream of Yarrahappini. Only minor flooding has been reported downstream.
- For the latest information, go to Council’s Disaster Dashboard – disaster.logan.qld.gov.au
Ahead of forecast storm activity today, the community is encouraged to keep these numbers handy in case of an emergency.
- Life-threatening emergencies – 000
- SES – 13 25 00
- Energex (to report fallen powerlines or power outages) – 13 62 62
- Logan City Council (to report debris or road closures) – 3412 3412
To prepare for any future storm activity, residents are encouraged to take steps to protect themselves and their properties.
This includes:
- Prepare an emergency kit and have an emergency plan.
- Identify loose objects in their yards or on decks or balconies which may need to be secured or put away.
- Trim trees and branches and clear garden debris.
- Check/secure roofing.
- Clean gutters and downpipes.
Photo: Trees down at South Maclean. Source: Facebook.
