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Queenslanders battered by severe hail storms will get access to payments of $80,000 after repeated weather blows triggered government-funded hardship assistance, as the region swaps storms for intense heat.
The joint-funded federal and state grants are available for suburbs north of Brisbane, including Bribie Island, parts of the Moreton Bay region along the coast, through Caboolture and inland up to Woodford.
The largest grants cover uninsured homes that suffered significant structural damage, although payments up to $900 are available for residents severed from power, water or essential goods and services.
Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy said power had been restored to more than 170,000 homes since Saturday, with the rolling storms a reminder to “be ready for anything”.
“This disaster season is fast proving to be as destructive as it is unpredictable,” she said.
On Thursday, Suncorp said an early estimate on the cost of claims from storm damage this week exceeded $350 million, and days earlier the Insurance Council of Australia announced a state of catastrophe.
Storms were expected to hit the region again on Saturday, alongside low-to-severe heatwave conditions stretching from Brisbane to the state’s far north that hit Queensland midweek.
Personal hardship grants have been launched for those in the worst-hit parts of south-east Queensland.Credit: Julius Dennis
Across Friday and Saturday, Brisbane was expected to sweat through a severe heatwave, with temperatures remaining above 20 degrees overnight.
The weather bureau predicted extreme heatwave conditions near Gympie, while the rest of the south-east would remain in a low-level heatwave.
Temperatures were expected to drop back within typical ranges by Tuesday next week, with overnight minimums reaching closer to 17 degrees in Brisbane, although the weather bureau predicted daily maximums high than 30 degrees.
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An Energy Queensland spokesperson said 98 per cent of homes knocked off the grid on Monday had been reconnected but storm-affected “zombie trees” – those at high risk of falling – could still damage power infrastructure.
About 170,000 homes lost power during the week, and the largest number of properties blacked out at any one time was more than 162,000, on Monday afternoon.
By Friday morning, fewer than 3400 properties remained dark, 2000 of which had been so since Monday.
A spokesperson for Leahy’s office said as properties in council areas further afield became eligible for hardship grants – which cover the loss of essential services, including power, for more than five days – the state would expand the scope of the funding.
The joint-funded grant scheme also contributed to costs for councils north of Brisbane and up to the Fraser Coast that needed to repair public infrastructure and launch counter-disaster operations.
Storms on Monday afternoon knocked out power to more than 162,000 properties. Credit: Cameron Atfield
In Brisbane, the council began offering free green waste drop-off on Wednesday, which would remain available until 5.45pm on Sunday.
The government said people impacted by the wild weather could check whether they were eligible for assistance, and find out how to apply, on its website.
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