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Christmas in Australia was rocked by a vicious series of storms that led to the passing of 10 people in the Australian states of Victoria and Queensland. On Monday, December 25, and Tuesday, December 26, the country was hit with severe weather that led to hail storms, flooding, and strong winds.
Among those deceased was a 9-year-old girl who was swept into a Brisbane stormwater drain. Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate warned that the city was not free from the storms yet. He also criticized the Bureau of Meteorology for allegedly giving late storm warnings.
Ten people lost their lives in Australia's tragic storms
As several harsh storms rocked the Australian states, Christmas and Boxing Day turned tragic for Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales residents. The storms led to heavy rainfall, destructive winds, large hailstorms, and flash floods. This led to severe destruction and loss of life across the country.
The Australian storms were so severe that the winds ripped the roofs off several structures, leading to the falling of many branches and trees. One such falling tree in Gold Coast, Queensland, led to the death of a 59-year-old woman on Monday night, December 25. The following day, a falling branch in Caringal, Victoria, led to the death of a 44-year-old man.
On Tuesday, the harsh weather caused a boat to capsize off the coast of Queensland, Australia, at Moreton Bay. There were 11 people aboard the vessel, out of which eight were stable and taken to a hospital. Three men aged 48, 59 and 69 lost their lives in the capsize. Two of the deceased men were identified as former Queensland rugby players David Logan and Stephen Tait.
The group was on their annual fishing trip aboard their 12-meter motorized pleasure craft yacht when it capsized due to the bad weather. In Gympie, Queensland, Courier Mail reported that three women were swept into the flooded Mary River through a stormwater drain on Tuesday, December 26.
While one 46-year-old woman got to safety, the lifeless bodies of the two other women, a 40-year-old and a 46-year-old, were found in the Mary River. Post the flash flooding in Buchan, Victoria, another woman was found deceased in a campground in east Gippsland. She is yet to be identified. The body of her fellow camper, an unidentified man, was found later on Wednesday, December 27.
A nine-year-old girl named Mia Holland-McCormack from Rochedale South went missing on Tuesday and was later tragically found unresponsive in flood waters in Brisbane, only a few km from her home. According to a GoFundMe set up for the grieving family, the severely autistic child "took off over the back fence" right before the storm hit. The GoFundMe amassed over $22,186 at the time of writing.
Gold Coast Mayor lambasts Bureau of Meteorology for late warnings
According to The Guardian, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate stated that the city was "not out of the woods" yet and requested the people of his city to check up on their neighbors and not visit the hospital unless there was an emergency. This was because of a sudden 30% spike in admissions due to power outages.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the mayor criticized the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for late warnings. He stated that the Bureau had sent out warnings on their app at 9:00 p.m. on Monday when the storms, which even had winds with speeds of up to 160 km/h, were set to hit at 8:45 p.m. News.com quoted Tom Tate, who stated,
"I think it’s unforgivable."
He added,
"We will be talking to BOM about what’s going on regarding the warning because we can’t warn people … it’s not good enough."
A spokesperson for The Bureau of Meteorology responded to the criticism by claiming that the Bureau had warned multiple times about a potential storm on Christmas night. The spokesperson stated,
"The Bureau issued several severe thunderstorm warnings for destructive winds, giant hail and heavy rain throughout Monday 25 December for the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim (as well as for other areas of Queensland)."
On Wednesday, BoM stated that severe thunderstorms were possible in Brisbane and the central and northern parts of the Queensland coast, but they were reported to ease up by the evening. The Gold Coast Mayor said the city suffered from 63,600 power outages.
He also claimed that 1400 homes in Gold Coast, Australia, received structural damage due to the storms and urged residents to keep debris from the storm in a safe place at the kerbside before it can be collected. The mayor asked people to triple-check that the debris does not consist of fallen power lines.
The Mayor said a heatwave would hit the city on Thursday and Friday after the storms. He asked people, especially those left without power, to plan. All council libraries, excluding Runaway Bay, would be left open and provide water and air conditioning access. The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in Southport will also be free to enter on these days.
