Sunshine at last, amid muddy post-deluge clean up
Sunshine will break through for the first time in days for those facing a mammoth clean up in two starts after the deluge of Cyclone Alfred.
In Queensland, Anthony Lay has already thrown away dripping carpets, mattresses, chairs and a waterlogged drum kit.
His Oxley property, in Brisbane’s south, was one of many inundated by floodwaters in ex-tropical cyclone Alfred’s downpours.
He was overwhelmed by a foul stench seeping out of his possessions as he carried each to the curb for the council to take away.
“It’s exhausting – 2022 took a lot out of me, then this one is a little bit more,” Lay said as he threw away much of what was downstairs.
“Thankfully it didn’t get up so high.”
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His whole home went under in 2011’s devastating floods and floodwaters reached the second storey in 2022. He had hoped to escape the worst of Alfred.
“Being in this area, there could have been a slight chance of it happening but I didn’t think this time it would get in,” Lay said.
Brisbane City Council has set up more than 190 temporary waste bin sites across the city, where the severe weather has impacted regular kerbside waste collections.
More than 50,000 homes and businesses remain without power, down from a peak of 420,000.
Students at more than 100 schools across south-east Queensland were also at home again on Wednesday as assessments were made of damage.
Further south, in NSW, Planning Minister Paul Scully said 1700 homes had been assessed for damage, with 17 found to be unliveable and a further seven with serious damage.
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“Power continues to be restored. A little over 4100 homes and locations remain without power at the moment, but the work continues. And work will continue until full power is restored,” he said.
No further significant rainfall is forecast for the remainder of the week. The Bureau of Meteorology said only some light coastal showers were possible.
Meteorologist Helen Reid said “breaks of sunshine” would return to parts of the state drenched by record-breaking falls.
“The easing trend will continue along the coast. Although floodwaters may remain high for some time, the forecast is for a dry weekend ahead for many,” she said.
Several flood warnings have been downgraded but moderate risk remains on the Logan, Richmond, Clarence and Arara rivers spanning Queensland and NSW.
Many areas are still cut off as the focus shifts to recovery efforts in areas where water has subsided.
Meanwhile, a different type of storm is brewing in northern NSW over people occupying vacant homes in Lismore.
They were acquired as part of a buyback scheme after the devastating 2022 floods. Now authorities want about 40 people who moved in to go for good.
NSW Premier Chris Minns highlighted “overseas visitors, tourists, backpackers” living in the homes and vowed to demolish them.
However, those inside have no intention of leaving.
The area is home to NSW’s highest number of rough-sleepers and many insist they are squatters at the front of the nation’s housing crisis, not backpackers.
