Residents in southeast Queensland are again picking up the pieces in the aftermath of a severe weather event. The wild weather has also whipped up some surprises fire ant infestations in Ipswich and packages of suspected drugs on a Bundaberg beach. Canberra is offering additional emergency hardship payments of one-thousand dollars for those who have suffered significant property loss. More than 40-thousand homes and businesses remain without power.
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00:00After days away from her home, Kathy Tolliday has finally returned to assess the full extent
00:10of Alfred's destruction.
00:12Floodwaters rose very quickly Monday and my son was one that alerted me with the bubbling
00:20and the gurgling of the water.
00:22Roads remain cut, rail lines damaged, for Greg Lockie the floods brought an unwelcomed
00:27guest.
00:29His property now infested with fire ants.
00:36But pests weren't the only debris to wash ashore in the wake of the wild weather.
00:41Several suspicious packages, suspected drugs, were discovered along the Bundaberg coastline.
00:50Cyclone affected communities are rallying.
00:54Industrial cleaners are out in force.
00:57And flood victims are still counting the cost, with more than 34,000 damage claims
01:02so far.
01:03Kind of watching your happy place sink kind of thing.
01:06So my heart sunk and yeah, it was just devastating.
01:09The owners of this pottery studio and cafe, like so many other businesses across South
01:15East Queensland, are now in insurance limbo, wondering if they're covered or if they're
01:21not, and how this disaster will affect their premiums.
01:24This is certainly a time that we want to see insurers respond quickly to Australians
01:29in need and not get them bogged down in paperwork.
01:31Meanwhile, the Australian Defence Force and police are door knocking vulnerable residents
01:36in Harvey Bay, many still without power.
01:39They're concerned just that some of these may be elderly citizens that are isolated
01:43without family and friend support.
01:44One of those is PJ Mancini, whose apartment complex has been relying on a generator for
01:50essential appliances.
01:51But without a working elevator, it's been a struggle.
01:55I have emphysema and climbing up the stairs is a nightmare for me.
01:59A mammoth clean up is still ahead.