Giant hailstones larger than golf balls have pelted down in south-east Queensland as wild storms continue to batter the region.
Areas south of Brisbane, including Gleneagle, Mundoolun and Jimboomba, were today hit with large hail between 8-9cm in size and flash flooding, as dangerous storms moved south towards the Gold Coast.
The wild weather continues after a week of flood devastation, with the state yet to get a reprieve from the crisis.
Moreton Island is in the firing line, with debris and garbage washing up on its beaches, threatening wildlife and the environment.
The normally pristine waters of Moreton Bay have become the newest rubbish dump for Brisbane.
Pontoons and boats have been ripped from their moorings during the floods, with debris mounting across the island’s beaches.
Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has assessed the unfolding environmental disaster.
“It was absolutely tragic to see turtles swimming in the water over there and this polystyrene going into the water,” he said.
“Things that are built in the river need to be manufactured from things that are more sustainable.”
Brisbane City Council has sent crews to help with the clean-up.
While Moreton Island is a concern, the focus remains on the clean-up on the mainland.
But the “Mud Army” has already been disbanded just one day after thousands of volunteers got to work.
Residents in Logan Avenue at Oxley claimed the volunteers never visited them.
“This is ground zero, but there is zero help,” Oxley resident Tony Rogers said.
“I don’t understand it, it’s insane really. Because there are hundreds of people that need help.”
But the council claims the majority of affected residents have already cleared out their homes.
“It is not the right activity for volunteers to be doing, to be loading trucks when there is heavy equipment, moving around,” Cr Schrinner said.
The number of army troops will be doubled this week to help clear the streetside dumps.
New figures suggest the floods impacted an estimated 20,000 properties in the Brisbane City Council area alone.
