Heartbreaking footage exposes sad reality after wild storms battered Australia
Heartbreaking footage has captured the “sad reality” of people sleeping rough after tents in a park in Brisbane's CBD were swamped by wild storms.
Heavy rain and blistering winds killed 10 people in Queensland and Victoria over Christmas and Boxing Day, including a nine-year-old girl in Brisbane.
Nearly 49,000 people were still without power in the Sunshine State on Thursday, many on the hard-hit Gold Coast, according to energy supplier Energex.
As emergency services fight to restore power to key infrastructure and homes, a Brisbane-based community organization sought to raise awareness among the city's homeless.
Heartbreaking footage has captured the 'sad reality' of people sleeping rough after tents in a park in Brisbane's CBD were swamped by wild storms
Heavy rain and blistering winds killed 10 people in Queensland and Victoria over Christmas and Boxing Day, including a nine-year-old girl in Brisbane.
The video, uploaded on Wednesday by Northwest Community Group organizer Paul Slater, shows fast-flowing rainwater washing under several tents in Musgrave Park.
On Facebook, Mr Slater said he went to the park after reporting that people sleeping wild there were unable to access community services due to rain and dangerous storms.
'The amount of water flowing through the park was staggering. This was also before the heaviest rain. I have filmed a video and will share it in the comments,” Mr Slater said.
No other service provider arrived this evening, both Rosie's and Orange Sky were due to attend but were canceled due to weather. I'm so glad we stuck with it.”
Mr Slater said that with the help of some other volunteers, they served around 40 burgers and sausages to people sleeping rough in Musgrave Park on Wednesday.
The video received sympathy online, with many pointing out that it showed the “sad reality” of homelessness in Australia given the current cost of living crisis.
It comes as the state braces for more extreme weather that has put pressure on the state's health and energy infrastructure, while also mourning the loss of at least 10 people.
Queensland police announced on Wednesday they had recovered a third and final body after a pleasure boat capsized during an annual fishing holiday in Moreton Bay.
The group of 11 people were boating on Boxing Day when they encountered “horrific” weather, according to police, who have not yet officially determined the cause of the capsizing.
Eight of the men were rescued immediately. Two murdered men were later identified as teacher Stephen Tait, 59, and rugby identity David Logan, 69. The third man was 48.
Pictured is some of the aftermath in south-east Queensland after a major storm hit the Gold Coast and Brisbane
The deaths match those of a young girl who died after jumping a fence at Rochedale, as well as those of two women, aged 40 and 46, who were swept away near a river in Gympie.
Robyn Carman, 59, was also killed on Christmas Day when a tree branch fell on her as she walked home after a car breakdown in Helensvale on the Gold Coast.
Queensland Energy Minister Mark de Brenni revealed on Wednesday that storms had downed 950 power lines in the state's southeast, including 800 on the Gold Coast.
He said it could be days before a plan is put in place to restore power to some homes in the state, with a focus on restoring power to critical infrastructure first.
Hospitals were also placed on code brown and staff were recalled from holiday ahead of a possible heatwave forecast for the far north and south-east of the state.
Pictured is some of the aftermath in south-east Queensland after a major storm hit the Gold Coast and Brisbane
The Bureau of the Meteorology warned extreme heatwaves could grip the state's central north, while low-intensity conditions are forecast for much of Queensland.
Two more people have died in Victoria since Christmas Day, including a woman at a campsite in East Gippsland and a man killed by a tree branch in Caringal.
Areas across the state were still under flood warnings on Thursday, including the Werribee, Snowy, Loddon River and Avoca River, which were under a moderate flood warning.
For its part, NSW was largely spared from the wild weather, with only some hail on Boxing Day. Nevertheless, several deaths had been recorded from drowning incidents.