An incredible photo of a quad bike hanging from powerlines shows just how high flood waters rose in regional Queensland.
The image, snapped in Gympie, 170km north of Brisbane, shows the four-wheeler dangling from the eclectic wires by its handlebars.
The State Emergency Service (SES) called in a cherry picker to remove the sky-high all-terrain vehicle.
Around 30,000 people across South East Queensland are still without power after the ‘rain bomb’ lashed the bottom corner of the state.
2/3 Receding water is only the 1st step for restoration: it will take many days for hard-to-access locations & in areas where the network has been badly damaged. #qldfloods 📸Quad bike in powerlines, Gympie; piller, Clayfield; Milton substation. pic.twitter.com/8mmUKXF2Mk
— Energex (@Energex) March 1, 2022
Entire homes have been destroyed, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk telling ABC News she expected the flood bill to be in the millions, 'if not hitting the billion mark'.
“It’s not just people’s homes and their businesses, it’s also the road networks, it’s the parks, it’s so widespread, across such a large area,” she said.
“We know from time to time we experience weather events or floods that are contained to a particular region. This went right across the south-east.”
We are seeing the most devastating flooding at #gympie in the last century. Mary river reached 22.96m, exceeding the 2013 (20.0m) and 2011 (19.2m). Our hearts go out to all those impacted. Please stay safe and look out for each other. #qldfloods #ifitsfloodedforgetit pic.twitter.com/E9W5L6vHSQ
— FloodMapp (@FloodMapp) February 26, 2022
Palaszczuk revealed the intense rain system dumped the equivalent of 80 per cent of the region's total annual rainfall in two to three days.
Meanwhile, the ‘rain bomb’ has been moving south, with Sydney expected to be hit by the massive rain front on today (March 2), with conditions set to worsen in the next 48 hours.
Huge swells, heavy rainfall and gale-force winds are also expected.
The #WarragambaDam has hit capacity and has started to spill. While the dam spill was forecast, it has started earlier than predicted. Stay up to date and take all warnings seriously. For current warnings visit: https://t.co/I4qsVXddAe @BOM_NSW pic.twitter.com/42Ks6J8Hwp
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) March 2, 2022
SES spokesman Adam Jones advised Sydney residents can protect themselves by reading sandbags and preparing their homes for the possible deluge.
“We are asking people to make sure your gutters are clean, if there is something to fly away, such as a trampoline, tie it down. Prepare yourself. Get some sandbags if your area is prone to flooding,” he told news.com.au.
“The preparation stops jobs coming through and helps us. The less we have it makes a huge difference.”
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