Thunderstorms, heatwave to hit Queensland as some residents go without power or water
Queenslanders are about to battle both heatwaves and thunderstorms as about 27,000 Gold Coast residents remain without power and Port Douglas residents are rationing their water.
Winds of up to 90 km/h, heavy rainfall and hail is expected to hit all coastal areas from northern NSW to Central Queensland this morning, as crews continue clean up efforts in Gold Coast, while the north prepares for heatwave conditions.
Energex said 80 per cent of their services had been restored and it aimed to have 90 per cent restored by tonight.
The 10 per cent who are most affected are in Mount Tambourine and Jimboomba, where the damage is so significant that a new power system needs to be rebuilt.
A review will be launched into the Bureau Of Meteorology after criticism about the communication in the lead up to the state’s recent disasters.
The federal government is blaming a communication breakdown between the weather bureau and local councils, who generally handle text alerts, to effectively warn residents about the storm.
Six people died from the storms across the state.
A heatwave warning has been issued for northern parts of the state including central, north, far north and western Queensland.
Both Longreach and Julia Creek are forecast to reach 47 degrees this weekend according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).
Residents in Port Douglas are still rationing their drinking water and stripping supermarket shelves for supplies after ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.
The Mossman Water Treatment Plant failed as a result of landslides upstream of Rex Creek caused by the severe weather that then caused blockages.
An emergency warning has been upgraded to critical and sent out to residents in Port Douglas, Mossman and Newell Beach to conserve water and cease non-essential use immediately.
Crews are working overtime to fix the water treatment plant.
