LIVE: Clean up begins across the region

(Lead image: Ferny Hills Tennis Centre)

The clean up has begun across the Moreton Bay Region with residents and businesses taking stock in the aftermath of days of torrential rain and wild winds.

Many roads across the region remain closed with landslips and potholes caused by flooding taking their toll. 

Find list of road closures here. 

Ways you can get help

Moreton Daily will constantly update this list, so if you know of information which is missing please contact us here

• The State Government is providing a range of assistance for affected communities, including grants for eligible people and recovery resources. Find out more here.
• Put a call out in your local community Facebook group. These groups have been highly active, with many people offering local help for those in need. 

Ways you can provide help

Moreton Daily will constantly update this list, so if you know of information which is missing please contact us here

• Online donation platform GIVIT is calling for donations of items, services and funds for people affected by the floods. GIVIT works directly with councils, outreach teams, charities and community groups to identify exactly what’s needed to make sure people get what they need, when they need it.
  Members of the public can donate through www.givit.org.au/storms-and-flooding with 100 per cent of donated funds received by GIVIT going to affected communities.
  Where possible, GIVIT uses donated funds to purchase items from local providers to support the economic recovery of impacted regions.
  If you have an item to donate that is not listed, please register the item on www.givit.org.au/donate-items.
• Let your local community know how you can help them by posting in your local community Facebook group. 

ROLLING COVERAGE: Community support rolls out across the region

It was a swift water rescue of a different kind when Bellmere Honey owners Cheryle and Todd Bartell ran into thigh-deep water to protect their hives.

The pair, who have hives on various properties across the region, raced to Elimbah over the weekend where they were able move around 30 hives to higher ground before being washed away.

“We were getting phone calls every 10 minutes from the lady where our bees are kept, and she just kept telling us how quickly the waters were rising,” Mrs Bartell said.

“When we arrived, we found the front paddock had water that was up to our thighs, but we just knew we had to get through the water to get to the back paddock.

“The water was lapping against the hives so we started carrying them to higher ground as quickly as we could.

“The hives are quite heavy – each hive can be between 40-60kgs.

“We got there just in time because as soon as we moved the last hive, all the stands that were holding them up were pushed over and washed away because the current was so strong.”

The bees create all-natural Australian honey that the pair sell at farmer’s markets in Caboolture, Carseldine and Milton, as well as bananas and other local produce.

“We just don’t know what it going to happen next. Milton is still underwater, which is just devastating,” Mrs Bartell said.

“It looks like Caboolture is drying out a little bit, so hopefully we can trade there, even if everyone has to wear their gumboots.

The pair are waiting to inspect their other hives, and see if the bees will produce more honey, which is dependent on weather.

“It will be hard to predict what we will get because everything has been washed out,” Mrs Bartell said.

“We just need to wait and see, and make sure the bees are happy and healthy and have food to eat.”

You can support Bellmere Honey by purchasing honey direct from their website at https://bellmerehoney.com.au

Sightseers are urged to stay away from Scarborough Park at Landsborough Avenue while council workers clean up after the weekend’s massive storms felled a tree.

Historic trees in the park were hit hard yesterday, with one falling across the beach and pathways.

Moreton District Crime Prevention Unit officer in charge Sergeant Sarah Grayson said police were disappointed that people were ignoring the taped off areas and entering the site, which is very unsafe due to the fallen tree and exposed concrete.

“You are putting yourselves at risk, and workers may not see you in the area while they are working,” Sergeant Grayson said.

“The tape is there for a reason.”

Sergeant Grayson has been on site for most of the morning telling people to leave the area but some are ignoring warnings and entering the site.

Council staff are working hard to clear the fallen tree, but there is extensive damage to the concrete after dirt and sand were washed away.

Please assist emergency services and council with the clean up by staying away and out of dangerous areas where people are working.

A fundraiser has been launched for bio-intensive market garden Loop Growers after flooding destroyed their Draper farm.

Owners Phil Garozzo and Alice Star managed to save the farm’s animals, but raging waters destroyed all buildings on the site including a seed house and spray sheds.

The farm’s new processing shed and kitchen fell victim to a shipping container that lost its footings, slamming into the building.

Phil says they’ve spent today assessing the damage and figuring out priorities to rebuild.

“The rain really stripped us bare - we’ll have to start from the start again,” Phil says.

“All of the roads have been drastically damaged so we have to repair them before we can do anything else.”

Phil says much of the damage was done on Friday, but torrential rain on Sunday wreaked further havoc.

“We had some of the highest water and it swept down and took out most of the buildings.

“We’re right below Mount Glorious and it was receiving record rainfall.

“We really bore the brunt of it.”

Alice and Phil collect fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells and other organic matter from cafes and restaurants, and use it for their worms as a compost or as food. They close the ‘loop’ by selling the food they grow back to those same cafes and restaurants.

Alice’s sister, Billie Star, has started a GoFundMe page to help Loop Growers start again.

On the page, she says that ironically, the last fundraiser for Loop was to help them ride out devastating drought.

“Loop's only paddock was quickly overtaken by floodwaters yesterday,” Billy wrote on Saturday.

“All crops are submerged and their precious healthy topsoil is being eroded.

“Thousands of dollars of materials have been damaged or washed away, including seed raising mix, bins for collecting compost, electric power tools, hand tools, repair and mechanical work for machinery, dog food, chicken food and submerged buildings and cars.”

Click here to donate.

Help is reaching residents in White Patch, after a section of the esplanade and water pipe were washed away in the torrential rain.

Bribie Island Boat Charters is offering to help get “any essential items (drinking water, medications, food etc)” or help those needing to get to the mainland, Banksia Beach or Bongaree.

Message Bribie Island Boat Charters, which is based at Spinnaker Sound, through its Facebook page or email [email protected]

Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPWS) staff and Police have also managed to reach the White Patch National Park Ranger Station on foot today.

There is one major ‘washout’ preventing access by 4WD on the bottom swamp crossing.

Council is arranging rock base from a local quarry to hopefully restore vehicle access for emergency 4wds later today.

At the time of writing there was still around 300mm of water and it is recommended the public does not try to use this crossing as vehicles could become stuck.

Once the crossing is in place again emergency services with QPWS and Council will drive it and assess how trafficable it is for those who will be delivering supplies. It is gated access at this stage.

Unitywater, Council, SES and Volunteer Marine Rescue are also working to get bottled water and other supplies to those affected from today.

At Ferny Hills, the Pure Tennis Academy is a hive of activity with hundreds of locals rallying to the call for help from owners Wayne and Brunella Brum.

Mrs Brum said they watched yesterday as water levels rose, dreading the damage they would find when the flood receded, but fortunately had been able to disconnect power supply ahead of the peak.

“It was really high – it just came up really quickly, it was a torrent.”

Water crept as high as Ash Barty’s chin on the new mural completed in January, she said.

Mrs Brum said shipping containers washed across the hill, tennis court and carpark surfaces were damaged and fences destroyed.

“It took us an hour to get up the nerve to go down and have a look this morning,” Mrs Brum said.

“But now we have hundreds of people downstairs helping us clean up.

“It’s making me cry every time I think about it – it’s overwhelming.”

Hills and Districts Chamber of Commerce President Mary Di Marco said she had reached out to members to see if they needed help, but so far all were ok.

“I’ve suggested that we as a chamber do something for members in our community who need assistance,” she said.

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