Severe Weather Update – 27 December 8pm
Some minor storms this evening at the southern end of the Gold Coast this afternoon did not result in any damage reported.
A heatwave is expected across the city Thursday and Friday. Queensland Health has advice on how to stay safe in these conditions.
In response to the Christmas Day storm event the City is currently focused on removing an unprecedented amount of debris from Roads, Parks and Public Spaces.
The City currently has 57 City Crews, 9 Contractor Tree Maintenance Crews and 3 Tree Inspectors allocated to assessing and addressing work requests received. We are asking the community to be patient.
SES volunteers continue to attend to hundreds of jobs that are still outstanding, and we thank them for their efforts. Use the app to report jobs to them.
Energex has indicated there are about 60,000 homes still without power and will have more crews around the city today, to help get the power up and running.
Swimming Warning
Some sewage pump stations are without power, as we prioritise the water treatment facilities.
Please do not swim in creeks, rivers or Broadwater swim locations until advised it's safe – stick to open beach areas to keep cool.
Water quality testing will begin tomorrow and we will be updating residents as we know more about specific swimming locations.
Libraries and Community Centres
All libraries, except Runaway Bay, remain open and available for residents without power. You can get out of the heat and charge phones and handheld lifesaving devices that use regular outlets.
Mudgeeraba Community Centre will open Thursday from 9am to 9pm, for residents seeking relief from the heat and access to power. Pimpama Community Centre (at Pimpama Sports Hub) and Coomera Community Centre are also open for residents from today.
Aquatic Centres
Most aquatic centres are open, with some exceptions:
- Helensvale Aquatic Centre (closed)
- Nerang Aquatic Centre (closed)
- Palm Beach Aquatic Centre (closed)
- Miami Aquatic Learn to Swim pool section (closed)
Due to the heatwave anticipated for Thursday and Friday, the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre will be open free of charge to the public both those days.
Waste and Recycling Centres
To assist with the large amount of debris on private land, the City has removed the load limit for the amount of green waste that can be disposed of at our Waste and Recycling Centres (WRCs) and landfill facilities.
Green waste can be disposed of at the following locations: Pimpama WRC, Molendinar WRC, Merrimac WRC, Reedy Creek Landfill, Stapylton Landfill. Green Waste is unable to be disposed of at Helensvale WRC.
We have also extended the operating hours for Green Waste Disposal to 6am - 6pm from Friday, 29 December 2023 with the exception of Merrimac which will be open from 7am to 4:50pm.
The City is currently working toward a program to conduct kerbside removal of green waste and storm debris. Whilst the logistics of this are being worked through, residents may place on the kerb green waste and storm debris for removal.
Green waste and storm debris MUST be separated to enable efficient collection and MUST NOT impede safe pedestrian access.
The timeline for kerbside collection of storm debris and green waste is yet to be determined and we ask for your patience while we finalise our plan which will be communicated at the appropriate time.
South Stradbroke Island
Residents and visitors are advised that a lot of trees are down across South Stradbroke Island. Please stay safe and move about with caution, if you are required to leave your shelter.
