January 10, 2024
Storms which swept through the South Burnett on Wednesday and Thursday nights have left residents in the dark and counting the cost of the latest bouts of wild weather.
At 9:00am on Friday, there were still almost 1600 Ergon Energy customers without power, stretching from Wondai to Cloyna, after trees brought down powerlines across the region from about 8:00pm.
An Ergon Energy spokesperson said a helicopter had been brought in to assess the damage and extra crews mobilised but due to the extent of the problems, it was unlikely power would be restored to the majority of customers until late on Friday afternoon.
Council crews were also out on Thursday night and Friday morning clearing fallen trees and branches off roads.
Dingo Creek Park and a section of the South Burnett Rail Trail at Wondai were also closed temporarily while Council workers cleared away debris.
Emergency services were also called just before 8:30pm on Thursday after reports two vehicles had become stranded in flash flooding near the intersection of Redmans Road and Malar Road at Booie.
The occupants of both vehicles were uninjured.
Thursday night’s storms followed wild winds – described by local residents as a “mini-tornado” – which hit Byee on Wednesday evening.
This storm uprooted trees, tore a roof of a large barn, overturned an irrigation pivot and broke windows on a farmhouse.
No one was injured although one of the residents was very lucky as they were inside the barn when the corrugated iron roof was ripped away.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a high chance of showers in the Wide Bay Burnett region on Friday, with severe thunderstorms possible in the southern inland area.
