“Paramedics did everything they possibly could. There were some really challenging circumstances in that job – there was torrential rain,the storms were still going on,there were trees down and foliage,” he said.
Loading
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli,in his Gold Coast electorate on Tuesday,said it was like a cyclone had ripped through the area.
“We’re talking about large mature trees that have been just bent sideways,ripped up out of the ground,tossed aside like matchsticks – it resembles the aftermath of a cyclone,” he said.
A little earlier,in the south-western Brisbane suburb of Richlands,a tree fell on a house and powerlines on Rory Street,causing 16 people to flee the home.
Three required ambulance assistance,including two who suffered head injuries and were taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital.
A crane at Burleigh Heads was buckled in the storm on Christmas night.Credit:Energex
Hundreds of power poles were seriously damaged or snapped,and at least one high-voltage concrete pole had been snapped.
“There’s no easy way to say this,but some customers will not have power for days – we’re looking at catastrophic and widespread damage on the scale of a cyclone,” Energex posted to social media.
“Reports of further severe damage are coming through every minute – until we understand the extent of the repair job,we simply can’t provide estimated restoration timeframes.”
All of the Gold Coast’s theme parks were shut because of storm damage,but it was hoped they would reopen on Wednesday.
In Helensvale,a man in his 70s had pelvic and back injuries after a tree branch fell onto a tent,while in a separate incident,a man in his 90s suffered a head injury after a ceiling collapsed.
A concrete pole lies snapped at Beaudesert after the storm.Credit:Energex
And in rarer circumstances,live power cables fell on top of an ambulance about 9pm in Loganlea while a patient was being treated. The patient suffered no further injuries and was freed by other emergency services.
Meanwhile,on Tamborine Mountain,a man in his 20s sought treatment from paramedics after lightning struck near a residence on Wongawallan Road.
On Boxing Day,Brisbane’s maximum temperature was expected to hit 33 degrees.
Senior meteorologist Angus Hines said the risk of severe thunderstorms was fairly extensive,stretching from the central and northern parts of the central Queensland coast through to Brisbane,as well as reaching eastern NSW and central to eastern Victoria.
“We have a pretty fine day really,but across[the coastal part of] Queensland,there’s likely to be another stormy one,with severe thunderstorms possible,more damaging winds,large to giant hail and areas of heavy rain,” he said.
Hines said severe thunderstorms were possible for Sydney,Canberra and Melbourne,as well as the Mackay region,with the potential to reach Brisbane a few times.
“By and large,by Wednesday afternoon,we’re starting to see the end in sight for this thunderstorm outbreak;we will see a slight easing trend to the conditions,” he said.