Savage storm carves path of destruction

Welsby Parade, Bongaree had some serious damage along the foreshore.  Photo of a tree with damage to a car.

More trees down on Welsby Parade, Bongaree.

By Sheree Hoddinett 

It was like a scene straight out of a movie as a ferocious storm ripped its way across City of Moreton Bay suburbs on Monday afternoon. 

In typical fashion, the storm which had already pummelled the Gold Coast, southern suburbs and Brisbane itself, made itself known across the City of Moreton Bay around school pick up time. 

Strong winds whipped up first as skies darkened and then what followed was a trail of carnage. Trees were uprooted, powerlines toppled like they were bits of string, hail pinged off car and home roof tops and the rain poured down. 

Here is a snapshot at just some of the destruction caused throughout the storm:

• A home in Woorim lost its roof due to destructive winds.

• A car was seen flipped on its side at Woorim Caravan Park. 

• Boats broke moorings in the Pumicestone passage and kayaks were seen floating on their own.

• Trees and branches covered First Avenue from Bongaree to Woorim, limiting access.

• Powerlines came down in Welsby Parade, Bongaree.

• Reports of powerlines down over cars on Dianthus Avenue and Orara Avenue, Banksia Beach AND First Avenue and Cumming Street, Bongaree.

• Reports of a tree falling onto a vehicle in Arcadia Avenue, Woorim.

• Traffic has been slow moving along Caboolture Bribie Island Road with significant delays in both directions.

• Community support is already being seen across the Island, with locals helping to remove trees where possible and assist neighbours in clearing debris from their yards.

While there was widespread hail throughout the storm, the biggest pieces were recorded at Ferny Hills (City of Moreton Bay) and Manly on Brisbane’s bayside, measuring in at about 11cm.

As of 7pm on Monday, more than 160,000 homes were without power across southeast Queensland with a total of 500 wires down. More than 500,000 lightning strikes were recorded. Energex crews had more than 200 workers out to fix powerlines, but with the extent of the damage, a long wait is expected.

An Energex Facebook post states “This won’t be a quick job. In many areas, the repairs will extend into tomorrow or even Wednesday. There are a number of very large trees down causing significant damage to poles and wires. These have to be cleared before crews can get safe access”. Check the Energex Outage page for further updates. 

The storm followed a hot Monday morning, with a severe heatwave warning in place across the state from Sunday. The destructive weather has already been labelled as being worse than Cyclone Alfred. 

While cleaning up is still underway from today’s severe weather, we could see some more severe storms roll through in the days coming.