The Christmas Day storms wreaked havoc in Logan, the Gold Coast and the Scenic Rim but it is a credit to our emergency services, RoadTek, Queensland Reconstruction Authority and electricity workers how quickly they responded.
To compare 2022 Christmas period storms with 2023’s – in terms of ferocity.
From 15 December 2022 to 1 January 2023, 38,000 lightning strikes were recorded in South East Queensland.
From 15 December 2023 to 1 January 2024 there were 3.5 million lightning strikes recorded.
The severe weather event affected power to more than 15,000 homes and businesses here Logan and a combined 130,000 across South East Queensland.
I had the privilege of attending the Energex Depot at Berrinba last week to thank the workers for their tireless work.
I was impressed by how selfless they were and how much pride they had in helping the community.
Though they may be reluctant to boast about how incredible their achievements have been, I believe it is something all Queenslanders should know about and take pride in.
Each day up to 1,000 men and women who, in many cases had their own property damaged and power cut, worked long shifts around the clock to ensure their fellow Queenslanders had electricity supply.
This included reconstructing 120 kilometres of power network, equivalent to building a new grid between Brisbane and Toowoomba, standing 150 new poles and installing 500 new crossarms.
And this reconstruction was carried out by, in my opinion, the country’s most dedicated electricity crews from Energex, Ergon and Powerlink.
For many in the affected communities, seeing the energy crews and their trucks rolling into their streets was a feeling of relief, knowing that once power was restored, they could truly get on with the recovery
process.
I personally think every one of them is a hero of this emergency and thank them for their professionalism, dedication and most importantly, their compassion towards their fellow Queenslanders in their time of need.
