The Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley Regional Councils are still adding up the substantial costs of damage to roads and infrastructure following massive flooding in south east Queensland over the past week.
According to Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Tanya Milligan and chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, the region has definitely sustained considerable damage to homes, businesses, farms and the road network, as well as the impact on people's wellbeing.
"It will take quite some time to get a full understanding of the damage across the region and Thursday's storms have unfortunately created further difficulties," Mayor Milligan said.
She said that people from all facets of our community have been impacted by this severe weather event and Council will certainly be promoting a range of support for the whole community.
"The Department of Communities is expected to set up Recovery Hubs in the Lockyer Valley this weekend which will offer a wide range of support services to all in need," she said.
"We encourage affected residents to visit the Hubs and seek support while it is available."
"As of Friday, 29 of Council's 31 bridges have been inspected and re-opened and there are currently more than 140 roads closed, damaged or covered in water across the region and we urge residents to exercise extreme caution and limit unnecessary travel, and never drive through floodwaters.
"Our crews are still assessing the damage to our local road networks and we thank the community for their patience and understanding during this time.
The Australian Defence Force, Rural Fire Service and a number of volunteers are in Grantham, Glenore Grove and elsewhere in the region today assisting with the clean-up and residents are very appreciative of this support.
Ms Milligan said as they know only too well that recovery is a marathon not a sprint.
"We've been here before, we know what it takes and we know our community will step up and we are very thankful for all the support we get from different levels of government and other agencies.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she has written to the Prime Minister seeking Category D assistance for $559 million on a 50-50 basis.
"As you can see, our initial assessments that this is actually a very, very big impact. In terms of our damage assessments to date, in terms of terms of properties, there have been 5394 damage assessments," she said.
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said it breaks his heart to see farmers smashed the way they have been from Gympie to Toowoomba during this event.
"We will be with them 100 per cent to help them get up and running again," Mr Furner said
".We are working directly with industry to get damage assessments as quickly as possible."
"As indicated the Premier has written to the Prime Minister requesting activation of Category D special disaster assistance and I'm confident there will be no delays there.
"We have held an Agricultural Coordination Group meeting this afternoon to make sure farmers' voices are heard directly as we begin the recovery process."
Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio is calling for the community to be patient, while staying vigilant on the roads, as the focus shifts to recovery operations after the weekend's extensive rain.
Mayor Antonio, chair of the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG), said Council was continuing to monitor conditions, including the Region's three dams.
"After days of heavy rain, including intense bursts at different locations, I urge people to please avoid travelling if possible," Mayor Antonio said.
"There are more than 120 roads across the Region that are flooded and currently closed or have a hazard which poses a danger to motorists.
"Our top priority is to ensure residents are safe and informed about the potential dangers from flood waters.
"There is a minor flood warning for the Condamine River, with Cecil Plains likely to be cut off in most directions in the coming day.
"So we're continuing to monitor the flood levels, including the Condamine River, as any further rise may impact access to Cecil Plains."
"Motorists are advised to use extreme caution at all times. Please observe any warning signs and drive to the conditions, however not every hazard will be signposted.
"Council will start assessing the condition of roads and other infrastructure in the coming days to gauge the extent of the damage. This will determine where our recovery efforts will focus."
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
