Prepare now while you still can

The Sunshine Coast community is urged to prepare and take notice of severe weather warnings as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches and is predicted to make landfall on the Sunshine Coast late Thursday night and Friday morning.

Sunshine Coast Council Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) Chair Rosanna Natoli said now was the time for the community to prepare themselves, their properties and families.

“Please review our flood mapping on Council’s website to understand the potential impacts on your property,” Mayor Natoli said.

“Flooding will be caused by the storm surge that comes as the cyclone approaches the coast, significant rain over a number of days, in addition to destructive and damaging winds.

“It may be fine outside at the moment - but this is definitely the calm before the storm.

“The Bureau of Meteorology is warning that TC Alfred will make landfall on the south-east coast later this week - with predictions Sunshine Coast will be one of the hardest hit areas.

“We are expecting damaging gusts up to 130 km/h along the southeast Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales coastal areas from Wednesday.

“Heavy to intense rainfall leading to dangerous flash flooding is expected from Wednesday.

“Abnormally high tides will cause flooding and there is likely to be damaging surf.

“Council’s Disaster Management team is working with our lead emergency agencies to prepare the region for the cyclone’s impact.

“We are currently finalising the locations of our refuge centres and will update our community as soon as we can.

“Keep checking Sunshine Coast Council’s Disaster Hub for up-to-date information.

“Queensland’s Department of Education is advising that Sunshine Coast schools will remain operational on Wednesday.

“Up-to-date information on school closures from then on will be available at closures.qld.edu.au.

“We are taking this weather event very seriously - and you need to do the same.

“Prepare yourself, your family and your property - today.”

Tropical Cyclone Alfred:

·         Intensity: Category 2, with sustained winds of 95 km/h and gusts up to 130 km/h.

·         Location: 560 km east of Brisbane and Maroochydore.

·         Movement: South-southeast at 6 km/h, expected to turn west towards the Queensland coast later today.

·         Forecast: Intensity may fluctuate between Category 1 and 2, expected to cross the southeast Queensland coast at Category 2 strength late Thursday or early Friday.

 

Waste and residential bin collection services

It’s business-as-usual today and Wednesday with all Council services, including waste collection.

There will be no residential bin collection services Thursday and Friday and we hope to resume normal services Monday.

We ask residents to remove all bins from their footpaths and secure them in a safe location on their property.

At this stage there is no planned follow-up collection service for missed bins as we won’t have the capability.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Our resource recovery centres will also be closed to the public Thursday and Friday and a decision to open on Saturday will be based on weather conditions and accessibility.  Again, we apologise.

Further updates to residential collection services and resource recovery centres will be available via Council’s website. 

SES sandbag locations

Council acknowledged the high demand for sandbags. 

“The SES has so far distributed more than 40,000 sandbags to our community,” Mayor Natoli said.

“There is a supply of about 30,000 bags in the region and another 80,000 sandbags are on the way - with multiple operational sites actively distributing them.

“We thank you for your patience as we continue to top up resources at multiple locations. 

“Please be assured we have trucks delivering sand throughout today and tomorrow.

“You can collect them or fill sandbags yourself.  Sandbags are a simple and effective way to help reduce the impact of flooding and protect your property.”

SES has opened seven public pick-up points for sandbags:

·         SES Caloundra Depot, Ulm St South, Caloundra

·         Caloundra Rugby Union Football Club - Lighthouse Park - 81 Arthur Street, Caloundra.

·         Maroochydore - Hinterland Lawn Bowls Club - Cnr Elizabeth Daniels Way and Syd Lingard Drive, Buderim.

·         SES Coolum Depot - 27 Elizabeth St, Coolum Beach.

·         Coolum Cricket Club car park - Ron Cargill Oval Coolum Sports Complex, Coolum Beach

·         SES Depot Beerwah - 22 Beerwah Pde, Beerwah

·         Nambour Showgrounds - Coronation Ave, Nambour

What you need to do:

Check or make an emergency kit:

·         Find out how to get ready for a tropical cyclone and pack an emergency kit at the Get Ready Queensland website (Get Prepared).

·         Fill up containers and the bath with clean water for drinking and to flush toilets in case the water supply is cut off.

 Prepare your property:

·         Fill your car with fuel or charge it. Park it undercover. Do not park under a tree.

·         Put away or tie down outside items like furniture, gas bottles, and play equipment.

·         If your home is not safe, plan to stay with family or friends.

·         If you are near the beach or a coastal waterway, storm surge could cause flooding.  This is dangerous. Decide now where you will evacuate to.

·         Close cyclone shutters if you have them, or cover windows with plywood, mattress, or heavy blanket.

·         Find out how to safely turn off power, solar, water and gas to your house. Be ready to turn it off if told to.

·         Check your family, friends and neighbours know what to do. Help them if you can.

How to report fallen trees and powerlines:

• Report fallen trees on Council roads or parks. For urgent and hazardous situations please phone 5475 7272. You can also report via the Sunshine Coast App (free from the App Store or Google Play).

• For trees on main roads (such as Sunshine Motorway, Nicklin Way, Caloundra Rd and the Bruce Highway), contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland) on 131 940.

• If you see fallen power lines, stay clear and call Energex immediately on 131 962.

• Contact Energex if you have lost power on 136 262.

• To subscribe to receive Energex power outage alerts in your area, visit https://www.energex.com.au/

If you find it hard to move quickly or have special or medical needs:

• Use your Person-Centred Emergency Plan (P-CEP) now if you have one.

• Make sure you have enough medicine for at least one week. If anyone in your house uses powered medical equipment, like a dialysis machine or ventilator, decide now where you will go in case you lose power.

• Call your support person or service to organise transport if you need to leave.

• Leaving early is safer than waiting.

For more information:

·         Follow our local council disaster dashboard here https://disaster.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/#Dashboard

·         Listen to your local ABC radio 90.3

·         For power outage information go to energex.com.au.

·         Check the latest weather, warnings, rainfall, and river heights at the Bureau of Meteorology Queensland website.

·         Check road closures at the QLD Traffic website or for phone service call 131 940.

·         Check disruptions to public transport at the Translink website.

·         To check for school closures: closures.qld.edu.au.

·         To report a Council-related urgent matter or emergency, call (07) 5475 7272 or 1300 007 272.

If you require urgent SES assistance please contact SES at 132 500 or log a request for the SES app:https://132500.qld.gov.au/ses-webapp/