Electricity crews attempting to repair power lines on the storm-ravaged Gold Coast had an extremely close call overnight, with a cherry picker rolling down a steep 30m embankment.
The setback comes as it’s predicted the damage from summer storms could already take weeks to clean up, and as thousands of residents remain without power.
Police said the brakes on the cherrypicker failed as it approached the embankment.
It’s believed the drivers, two men in their 40s, had travelled down from Townsville to help with the recovery process, following intense storms,
Queensland Police senior sergeant Brendan Wirlen said thankfully the men weren’t injured.
“It’s a timely reminder of the difficult circumstances a lot of these workers are up against and with more wet weather on the way it’s likely that these dangers will continue and these delays unfortunately, will also continue for those communities,” he said.
“It’s not the start to 2024 that so many people in Queensland were hoping for.”
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Thousands of people remain without power and there are numerous damaged properties and businesses.
At the peak of the weather event, 130,000 people were without power.
More than 900 homes suffered significant damage to their electrical systems, which will require an electrical certification to fix.
Queenslanders in the storm-affected areas have been warned about escalating repair costs and wait times, with a forecast $2 billion bill to clear-up the mess.
More than 3000 critical public roads and bridges have been damaged and thousands of homes between the far north coast and the Gold Coast have been severely impacted.
It’s estimated residents could be waiting up to two years to get back on their feet.
The Queensland government has pledged $1 million to help affected communities with clean-up efforts after storms hit the Gold Coast region over the Christmas and New Year period.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Kevin Walsh said crews were on the ground again today. Wild weather conditions have eased meaning recovery efforts could begin.
“Pretty much every day since Christmas we’ve had storms, torrential rain and flooding which has obviously impeded our progress.”
