The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), assisted by staff from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) has examined and assessed the damage to more than 16,500 homes and commercial properties in South-East Queensland, following the recent severe rainfall and flooding.
Announcing this progress over the past two weeks, Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk said the floods had been a catastrophic event on a scale not seen since 2011.
“The Insurance Council of Australia has advised that more than 70,000 private insurance claims have already been received reaching $1 billion, with residents and businesses in these areas suffering significant damage to their cars, homes and properties,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Of the more than 16,500 assessments undertaken on homes and commercial buildings, nearly half have some level of impact, with more than 1,800 assessed as having severe levels of damage, more than 2,500 with moderate damage and nearly 3,500 with minor levels of damage,” she said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Steven Miles said that, over the past two weeks, officers from QFES and QRA had been going street-by-street, house-by-house and business-by-business in impacted areas.
“They are inspecting the damage and surveying residents and owners about a range of issues, including accessibility to water and electricity, to determine the true extent of the damage,” Mr Miles said.
“While some of these properties will be repaired quickly, others may be uninhabitable for months, if not longer,” he said.
The Minister said more than 4,400 Government-owned assets had been damaged.
“Of these, 85 State Schools were damaged, with six unable to fully reopen,” he said.
“The information collected during this assessment will be shared with State Agencies, impacted Councils and other stakeholders to inform the ongoing recovery efforts,” Mr Miles said.
