Severe Weather Update – 7 January – 5pm

Published on 07 January 2024

Operation Clean Up

• We have dozens of crews in priority areas clearing debris and making roads and parks safe
• We are working with all our partners in this operation including SES, Disaster Relief Australia, Rural Fire Brigade, the Australian Defence Force along with other volunteers and contractors
• The scale and size of this operation is massive and we want the community to know we’ll be out there every day until the job is done
• Operation Clean Up is the City’s response to clean up the devastating storm and flood damage that has occurred to so many Gold Coasters.
• We will be conducting green waste and storm debris pickups in the most severely impacted areas.
• It will include kerbside pick-up or skips depending on how affected your area is and suitability.
• We ask that only those who are storm affected take advantage of services to allow our teams to focus on those most in need.
• We are launching a new Operation Clean Up web page tomorrow to provide information on the clean up programs and services we’re delivering to help our residents.
• Visit one of our Waste and Recycling Centres to dispose of larger waste items.
• We understand this is a difficult time but we assure you that no one will be left behind.
• We ask for your patience and understanding on how big this task is. We will get this done together.

Normal waste collections

• Waste collection services are operating from 5am.
• Please put your bin out kerbside the night before your collection day.
• Our waste collection trucks can usually collect waste from around 400 residential bins before emptying their load, with an increase in waste following the severe weather, trucks are collecting around 320 bins before emptying.

Community Recovery Hubs

• Community Recovery Hubs are a place where residents experiencing hardship can apply for grants and obtain emotional and wellbeing support.
• The Department of Communities will be onsite to assist with grant applications and offer referrals to other community organisations and government agencies for further assistance.

Community Recovery Hub locations:

• Upper Coomera Community Centre daily from 9am to 4pm
• Mudgeeraba Community Centre daily from 9am to 4pm
• Helensvale Library and Cultural Centre (pop-up hub) 9am to 4pm Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 January
• The Well Community Centre (pop-up hub) 9am to 4pm Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 January

   

• Residents are required to bring identification, bank details and Medicare card with them to enable them to apply for grants.
• The Department of Employment and Small Business will have resources and support available at Upper Coomera and Mudgeeraba Recovery Hubs on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 January.
• For residents that are unable to visit a Community Recovery Hub, more information is available online at qld.gov.au/DisasterHelp or via the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.

Waste and Recycle Centres

The following facilities currently have extended opening hours of 6am to 6pm

• Pimpama Green Organics Drop and Go
• Molendinar WRC
• Reedy Creek WRC
• Reedy Creek Landfill
• Stapylton Recycling and Landfill Centre

Other WRCs are open as normal.

To assist with the severe weather clean up:Residential customers disposing of green waste, and general waste load size restrictions are currently relaxed.

• All charges for commercial customers disposing of green waste at the City’s Waste and Recycling Centres (WRCs) and landfills are currently waived.
• All charges for commercial customers disposing of spoiled food waste at the City’s WRCs and landfills are currently waived.

Waste Levy Disaster Exemption

• Commercial customers disposing of disaster-related wastes at WRCs and landfills can advise the City weighbridge officer that their load is storm-related and no State Waste Levy charge will be applied. Note that the disposal fee component of charges will still apply.
• Residential customers are not directly charged the Waste Levy when they dispose of waste at the City’s WRCs and landfills as this is charged by the State directly to the City.

• The State Waste Levy disaster exemption means that the City will not be charged the Waste Levy for the extra volumes of wastes produced by residential customers due to the storm impacts, meaning that there are no levy exemption-related savings associated with the exemption that can be passed onto the City’s residential customers via Rates Notices.  

Delayed Issuance of Rates and Water Notices

• The City has made the decision to delay the distribution of the next round of rates and water notices.
• The details of these distribution delays are as follows:
  

  • the next planned water billing will be delayed by 2 weeks – water notices that were due to be issued 8 January 2024 will now be distributed on 22 January 2024.
  • the next planned rates notices will be delayed by 2 weeks – rates notices that were due to be issued on 22 January 2024 will now be distributed on 5 February 2024.

We are conscious of the effect that the recent weather events has had on ratepayers, if you are experiencing difficulties in paying your notice by the due date, you are encouraged to contact us to discuss payment options.

Mosquito management

• Following recent extreme weather events, elevated numbers of mosquitoes are being experienced across the City.
• Storms, rainfall, elevated tidal inundations and hot weather have provided ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes.
• In response, we will continue aerial treatments of mosquito larvae, as well as scheduling ULV misting programs for suburbs affected by increased mosquito populations in the coming weeks.
• Our Pest Management Technicians are also checking and treating all known mosquito breeding areas throughout the City on a daily basis.
• Further areas will be scheduled as we assess mosquito populations and weather conditions.
• An alert has been added to the City’s website.

You can protect yourself from mosquitoes by:  

• Limiting your time outdoors around dawn and dusk 
• Applying mosquito repellents regularly 
• Wearing loose fitting, light coloured protective clothing when outdoors 
• Screening doors and windows or using mosquito nets or air-conditioning.
• Using mosquito coils. 

 You can help prevent mosquitoes breeding on your own property by:

• Disposing of all water-holding containers in your yard
• Emptying flower vases, pot plants and other containers which hold water, at least once a week
• Ensure house gutters are kept free of leaves and they drain freely, leaving no pools of water in low points
• Screen all openings to tanks, wells or other large water containers with wire gauze, not coarser than 1 millimetre aperture mesh.

Safety 

• A small number of Gold Coast roads are still impacted. Please DO NOT disregard Road Closed signs, as this could prove life threatening.
• We are in the process of assessing the roads to ensure they are safe for you to drive on.
• For your safety, please avoid visiting public spaces that have been impacted by fallen or damaged trees and stay away from any debris as a result of the severe weather.
• Do not allow your children to play on or near any parks or playgrounds near fallen or damaged trees and supervise them at all times.
• To report any fallen, damaged trees or debris please report it through the Report a Problem City App.

Personal hardship financial assistance

Queensland Government

The Queensland Government has activated a number of grants to assist eligible people with personal hardship experienced as a consequence of the severe weather event.

Grants include:

• Essential Services Hardship Grant – to help with essential services including power if more than 5 days without services
• Emergency Hardship Assistance – for help with essential needs, food, medication, clothing and temporary accommodation
• Essential Household Contents Grant – to replace essential lost household contents, such as white goods and bed linen
• Essential Services Safety and Reconnection – for safety inspection and repairs to reconnect essential services including power
• Structural Assistance Grant – to help with structural repairs
• More info and eligibility: https://www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/disasters/money-finance/eligibility-apply/seq-storms-christmas-2023

Federal Government

Small business disaster relief 

• The Australian and Federal Governments have announced further assistance for Queenslanders impacted by the Christmas and New Year severe weather events.
• Disaster Assistance and Essential Working Capital Loans are available for affected small businesses, primary producers and not for profits on the Gold Coast.
• Please click here for further details.
• Further to this, the Queensland Government has issued a survey to find out what assistance these affected businesses may need. You can fill out the form here.
• The Department of Employment and Small Business will have resources and support available at Upper Coomera and Mudgeeraba Recovery Hubs on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 January.

   

  Sport and Recreation Disaster support

• The Sport and Recreation Disaster Recovery Program is available for affected sport and recreation groups.
• The Program supports not-for-profit sport and recreation organisations with funding to re-establish facilities and activities after extreme natural events.
• Click here for more details.

City facilities

• Runaway Bay Indoor stadium remains closed.
• Many sports fields are currently closed due to storm debris in or around the grounds.

Waterways

• We continue to ask everyone to avoid waterways such as creeks and rivers due to poor water quality and large amounts of debris following the severe weather.
• There is a strong link between rainfall and flooding events and the health of our waterways. If the water looks at all discoloured or smells bad – don’t swim.

Stay up to date

• Stay up to date on the City’s Disaster Dashboard citygc.au/DisasterDashboard
• If your life is in danger, call 000 (triple zero). For SES assistance call 132500 or search SES Assistance QLD on your phone’s app store.