Emergency crews have scooped two men from their vehicles amid a torrent of water, during a dramatic four hours that included more than a dozen rescues.
The teams confronted troubling scenes from Beerwah to Nambour, where people required help from flooded homes and vehicles, as more than 350mm of rain fell on Sunday night and into Monday morning.
They made 15 rescues from 4am to 8am, after creeks burst their banks around the region.
Two men were labelled very fortunate after they were plucked from their utilities in an expanse of floodwaters at Chevallum.
They were swept off Chevallum Road and were about 100m apart.
Queensland Fire Department Inspector Bernie Massingham said a rescue crew from Maroochydore, two dedicated swiftwater rescue crews and a drone crew attended the scene.
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They carefully waded through the water to one man and provided him with a line and a life jacket and helped him on to an inflatable platform, before they did the same with the other man.
“The water was very fast flowing,” Insp Massingham said.
“The crews faced dangers: they couldn’t see beneath the water so they didn’t know if there were fallen trees or ripped up asphalt, bits of metal, barbed wire or snakes.”
He said the duo were “incredibly lucky”.
“The water gets under the wheels of vehicles and they lose traction and are lifted and swept away.
“It’s all and well and good if you can see the road, but if you can’t you have no idea what the condition of the road is: whether a bridge has been washed out or the asphalt has been torn up or if there is a hazard. You have zero visibility and are taking your life into your hands.”
Crews also plucked two people from the roof of a vehicle at Burnside among multiple rescues in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, most around dawn, before undertaking damage assessments across the region.
Meanwhile, SES responded to more than 350 calls for assistance in the North Coast region from Sunday evening until late Monday morning â for fallen trees, sandbagging and structural and flooding issues.
Minor flood warnings and a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall were still current late Monday and about 100 roads were closed.
Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli said the region copped a battering from the after-effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“Those (hinterland) areas have really been impacted,” she said.
“We’ve seen a number of cars where people have driven into waterways.
“We are asking people to stay away from those roads. If you see water over the roadway, please do not approach.”
She said the council was trying to determine how many homes had been impacted by floodwaters. About 50 people were at the refuge centre at Nambour on Monday.
Several schools closed on Monday and the public transport network had also been impacted by closed roads.
Council has not collected rubbish bins due to the wild weather.
“Waste has been a big issue for some members of our community … we’re doing everything we can,” the mayor said.
Council will provide an on-demand residential collection service for critical hygiene-related needs for those who missed waste services. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Refuse tips reopened on Monday, with the exception of Nambour due to flooding, and will be free for residential properties directly impacted by ex-TC Alfred for disposal of storm-damaged household general waste and green waste until Sunday, March 16.
Ms Natoli said residents who collected sandbags should keep them in place for some time “just in case”, before sprinkling the contents on lawns.
“Please don’t put those full bags into your wheelie bin (or) take that sand to the beach. It’s a different kind of sand and it doesn’t belong on our beaches. Council is also going to set up some centres where you can return unwanted sandbags.”
About 300 people were still without power in the region late Monday.
Bureau of Meteorology community information officer Daniel Hayes told SCN that the Sunshine Coast should see improved weather on Tuesday.
“The rain should ease. There’s still a chance of showers but heavy falls should become isolated,” he said.
Surf Life Saving Queensland lifesaving services manager Natalie Edwards said the majority of local beaches remained closed due to tidal damage, winds and heavy rain.
âRisk assessments are being conducted and beaches on the Sunshine Coast, not impacted as heavily as the Gold Coast, will gradually reopen as they are deemed safe,” she said.
