Sunshine Coast residents are being asked to remain patient as emergency crews battle sweltering conditions to restore power to homes and businesses, with some areas expected to remain without electricity until Wednesday afternoon following Monday’s severe storms.
The region now braces for another round of dangerous superstorms, with four consecutive days of severe thunderstorms forecast across southeast Queensland.
Giant hail and cyclonic winds swept through the Coast on Monday, leaving a trail of destruction that damaged homes, brought down trees and powerlines, disrupted transport and forced school closures.
At the peak of the storm, more than 162,000 properties lost power across the southeast Queensland, including around 14,000 on the Sunshine Coast, and about 95,000 customers were still without supply on Tuesday morning.
“There were more than 600 powerlines down, and Energex counted more than 880,000 lightning strikes during the storms,” an Energex spokesperson said.
“The restoration of power is likely to continue late into Wednesday afternoon in some areas, due to the extent of the damage and difficult access.”
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At least two homes lost their roofs during the wild weather, with emergency services receiving more than 2200 urgent calls at the storm’s peak. Thousands of commuters were impacted as the rail network ground to a halt, and several Sunshine Coast schools remained closed for storm repairs.
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jonathan How said the storms were part of a larger, active weather system affecting eastern Australia.
“It was another very active thunderstorm day across Queensland, and severe thunderstorms did cause quite a bit of damage to trees and properties,” he said.
He warned that more wild weather is on the way.
“The Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Wide Bay are set to endure very unstable conditions amid four consecutive days of severe thunderstorms,” Mr How said.
“It’s not unusual for this time of year, but they can still catch people out, cause significant impacts and a lot of damage.”
Energex helicopters are surveying heavily damaged zones, including the Sunshine Coast, to assess infrastructure and guide restoration work.
Residents are being urged to stay safe when cleaning up storm debris, as fallen powerlines may be hidden under vegetation or rubble. Energex advises anyone encountering downed lines to treat them as live and call 13 19 62, or dial 000 in life-threatening situations.
To help residents recover, Sunshine Coast Council is offering free disposal of storm-damaged garden waste at its resource recovery centres until 5pm on Sunday, with restrictions on plastics, timber, invasive plants, gravel and dirt. Large root balls, palms and tree trunks over 30cm in diameter will be charged as general solid waste.
