Key Points
- Authorties urged residents to prepare for prologned power outages in storm-ravaged Queensland.
- More than 43,000 people are still without power.
- Residents were advised to look out for neighbours who are elderly or living with disability.
Areas of Queensland affected by "unprecedented" storms now face the prospect of days without electricity amid extreme heat.
Storms and flash flooding across southeast Queensland , but households have now been warned to prepare for a heatwave.
Federal Disaster and Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt on Thursday said residents should look out for neighbours who were elderly or living with disability.
"If you have fans or air conditioning available and have got the power on, today is the day to use it," Senator Watt said.
"If you don't have that, today is the day to think about using those public libraries, public pools, and other spaces to stay safe."
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt has urged Queenslanders to look out for the vulnerable. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien
Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said 63 per cent of customers without power since Monday and Tuesday's "unprecedented" storms now had their services restored.
"By the evening of 30th December we aim to have 80 per cent of households and businesses across the affected region have power resupplied," he said.
"By New Year's Eve we aim to have 90 per cent resupplied."
More than 43,000 people were still without power on Thursday afternoon.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said this was "incredibly concerning" with high temperatures expected over the coming days.
"Use a cold towel or if there is power on at the local library or at a shopping centre, go there and just keep your temperature down if you're starting to experience some signs and symptoms of heat stress," she said.
Gold Coast have sustained some damage.
Of those, 37 homes have significant or severe damage.
Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate thanked volunteers who had come from across Queensland and northern NSW to assist with recovery.
"We are fortunate to have two days' reprieve from the strong winds and severe storm," he said.
"It's time to get ready."
Following the Christmas Day storms, 400 houses on the Gold Coast have sustained some damage. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien
Residents were asked not to swim in creeks, rivers or in the broadwater until the water had been tested.
Queensland Ambulance Service said there's been an increase in calls for help over the past few days, partially because of the storms and the heat.
About 3600 calls a day had been received compared to the usual 3100 daily calls, director Lisa Dibley said.
"Some of that's attributed to the warm weather, also some quite difficult cases that require high ambulance consumption with some of the weather events," she said.
Premier Steven Miles said the government had activated disaster assistance for parts of the Gold Coast, Logan and Scenic Rim following the devastating storms.
The assistance package includes emergency hardship grants of $180 for individuals and up to $900 for families.
Uninsured low to middle-income residents will be eligible for grants up to $1765 for individuals and $5300 for couples or families to replace household contents lost to storm damage.
Senator Watt said those households could also apply for assistance of up to $5000 with the costs of repairing connections to electricity, water and gas.
