Dear Neighbours,

What a wild weekend! The Gabba Ward along with the rest of the region were battered by high winds on Friday and Saturday, with heavy rainfall both Saturday and Sunday.

As a community we were incredibly prepared and resilient. While there were some incidents of power outages (some are continuing still) and fallen trees, the most challenging and damaging incidents were further afield.

However, the weather is always a little unpredictable, so please stay vigilant and keep on top of any warnings from Council and BOM.

The Ward Office is open again today and my staff are here to help. Please check in on your neighbours and make sure they are okay. In moments like these, community care is more important than ever!

Flood Evacuation Centres Open

Residents can seek shelter at the following Council evacuation centres: 

• The Chandler Arena, Sleeman Sports Complex, Chandler, 757 Tilley Road, Chandler  
• Kedron Wavell Services Club, 21 Kittyhawk Drive, Chermside

Access to the Sleeman Sports Complex evacuation centre is via Old Cleveland Road, car park 3. Pedestrian access is next to the bus stop in car park 3. 

Amenities available at both Evacuation Centres:

• Sleeping arrangements
• Catering 
• Toilets/Showers

As you evacuate you should: 

• Take your evacuation kit with you. This should include: mobile phone and charger, spare clothing, toiletries, a towel, important documents such as prescriptions, insurance papers, passports and birth certificates, a back-up copy of computer files, any necessary medication and prescriptions, or needs for infants such as formula or nappies.
• Bring bedding with you such as pillows and blankets if you can.
• Inform your neighbours of any evacuation advice.
• Turn off the electricity and/or gas and lock your home.

Pets:
Sleeman Sports Complex  

• You can bring pets with you, but they must be crated, leashed and securely transported as they will be kept in a separate location. Pet owners must pack their dog or cat’s food and litter tray as well.  

Kedron Wavell Services Club 

• This facility is NOT able to cater for pets. Alternative arrangements need to be made for pets. The facility only accepts registered service animals 

Local Community Response Centres

Emmanuel Mission is continuing to operate as a drop in centre but are now only open their regular hours (7am-3pm weekdays | 9am-1pm weekends). They can provide a meal, a safe place to rest, and protection from the weather.

If you can help, they are urgently in need of the following donations:

• Raincoats, ponchos, and umbrellas
• Bath towels
• Men’s t-shirts, underwear, jumpers & track pants

Drop off donations at 10A Cordelia St, South Brisbane.

Micah Projects Home for Good Hub, located at 162 Boundary Street, West End is open for people who need support. For Outreach support and assistance, please call 07 3029 7000.

Micah’s drop in centre at Kurilpa Hall is still open today and overnight. A decision will be made later today about what the opening hours on Tuesday will be.

If you can help, they are urgently in need of the following donations:

• Preprepared or prepackaged meals that can be heated up
• Non-perishable items (e.g., noodles, canned tuna, canned soup, canned spaghetti, etc)
• Bottles of water

Drop off donations at 174 Boundary St, West End.

Public Transport Update

A limited number of bus services are running, but this is liable to change. Limited services on the 60, 199, and 196 are available. Please check Translink Journey Planner before travelling. Latest update from Translink available here.

Some train lines are running on Sunday timetables while others remain closed. Roma Street Station is currently closed. Latest update from Translink available here.

Council CityCat, KittyKat and most bus services have been suspended until further notice due to severe weather.

CityCat and Kittycat services are unable to operate due to debris in the water.

The situation is rapidly changing so please monitor the Translink website for the most up to date information.

Council Priority Clean Up

It’s going to take weeks to fully clean up from Alfred. Council is currently prioritising removing trees/vegetation across roads and supporting Energex to restore power. Ensuring roads are cleared in areas likely to flood is the top priority.

Council also has teams doing ground assessments across the city to gather information on what the cleanup entails. You can help by reporting any issues you’re aware of through:

• 24/7 Council hotline on 3403 8888
• Council’s Report It system
• Snap Send Solve (independent app)

Please be patient as it will take some time for Council to get through all the jobs that aren’t creating immediate safety hazards. If you are aware of cases that are creating safety hazards, please report using one of the above methods. If the issue is not resolved in an appropriate timeframe, please send me an email with the reference number and I will look into it.

As I’ve stated before there have been cuts in budgets for the past two years, leaving many Council teams, like arborists, understaffed and overwhelmed. Council is going to have to rely on private contractors to be able to manage the workload. This is likely to further delay cleanup as Council will be competing with private businesses and residents to secure contractors. 

Need help cleaning up?

I’m working with Federal MP Max Chandler-Mather to coordinate volunteers to help the community clean up and recover after Alfred.

Some of what we can help with:

• Refer you to the right agency or support service
• Do deliveries and transport
• Help with clean-up
• Prepare a community meal for your street if there's a power outage

If you require non-urgent assistance please fill in this form and someone from Max’s team will be in contact to see how we can help.

Please be aware our emergency response team is powered by volunteers and may not be able to help with all issues - many tasks will need to be left to the professionals. We will also need to be prioritising people who can’t help themselves. That said, please reach out and if we can help, we will.

If you need urgent help In the meantime, please contact:

• SES for cyclone damage on 132 500
• Energex for reporting fallen power lines on 13 19 62
• Urban Utilities for water disruptions on 13 23 64

River Flooding

BoM have issued a Minor Flood Warning for the Lower Brisbane River catchment. The Brisbane River at Brisbane City gauge may reach near the minor flood level (1.70 m) Tuesday morning on the high tide.

For those interested, River Heights for Brisbane River at City Gauge are available here.

Free Green Waste & Tip Closures

Council’s Resource Recovery Centres at Willawong and Nudgee have been impacted by severe weather and are closed until further notice.   

Ferny Grove and Chandler Resource Recovery Centres remain open.

Temporary sites for residential green waste disposal have been opened at:

• Whites Hill Reserve, Camp Hill
• Mt Coot-tha carpark (near planetarium)

Free residential green waste disposal is available at open resource recovery centres. 

We expect there to be large queues at the open centres, please be patient.

Road Closures

Lots of roads across the city have been closed due to flooding or other risks. You can check the current closures here.

Remember, if it’s flooded, forget it. Even if you manage to drive through safely, the waves caused by your car will damage nearby properties.

Power Outages

As of 12:15pm there are 36,686 households without power within Brisbane Council’s area. Energex has an active power outage tracker here.

To report fallen powerlines, call the Energex emergency line on 13 19 62. Do not go near fallen powerlines.

Water outages and pressure

Due to power outages impacting water booster pumps some parts of the city are experiencing low pressure or no water - particularly for people living in hilly areas. Urban Utilities crews are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

How do I claim the Disaster Recovery Payment?

The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments (AGDRP) will be available to claim from 2pm Tuesday 11 March. Claims are managed through Services Australia with information available here.

AGDRP is only available for people whose homes were inundated by flood water. You can’t claim for loss of power or being stuck at home. Payments of $1000 per adult and $400 per child.

After recovery allowance is available for people who lost work (casual workers) due to the storm.

Our Federal MP Max Chandler-Mather can help out if you have any questions. Contact Max’s team via 3397 1674 or [email protected].

What do I do with my sandbags?

Empty sandbags should be placed in the general waste bin. Do not empty sand or place full sandbags in your general waste bin. 

Sandbags that have come into contact with floodwaters or are no longer required can be disposed of at one of Council’s four resource recovery centres. More info available here.

In solidarity,
Trina