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Heartbreaking footage has captured the “sad reality” of people sleeping rough after tents at a park in Brisbane’s CBD were inundated by wild storms.
Heavy rains and blistering winds killed 10 people across Queensland and Victoria over the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays, including a nine-year-old girl in Brisbane.
Almost 49,000 people were still without power across the Sunshine State on Thursday, according to energy supplier Energex, with many on the hard-hit Gold Coast.
As emergency crews fight to return power to key infrastructure and homes, a Brisbane-based community advocacy group sought to raise awareness to the city’s homeless.
Uploaded by Northwest Community Group organiser Paul Slater on Wednesday, the video shows fast-moving rain water washing under multiple tents at Musgrave Park.
On Facebook, Mr Slater said he had gone to the park after reports the people sleeping rough there had no access to community services due to the rain and dangerous storms.
“The amount of water flowing through the park was staggering. This was before the heaviest rain too. I filmed a video and will share it in the comments,” Mr Slater said.
No other service provider arrived tonight, both Rosie’s and Orange Sky where scheduled to be there, but cancelled due to the weather. I’m so glad we stuck it out.”
Mr Slater that with the help of some other volunteers they served about 40 burgers and sausages to people sleeping rough at Musgrave Park on Wednesday.
The video was met with sympathy online with many pointing out that it showed the “sad reality” of homelessness in Australia given the current cost of living crisis.
It comes as the state braces for more extreme weather that has put pressure on the state’s health and power infrastructure, while also mourning the loss of at least 10 people.
Queensland police on Wednesday revealed they had recovered a third and final body after a pleasure boat capsized during an annual fishing holiday trip at Moreton Bay.
The group of 11 people were sailing on Boxing Day when they hit “horrific” weather, according to police, who have not officially determined the cause of the capsize.
Eight of the men were rescued immediately. Two men killed were later identified as teacher Stephen Tait, 59, and rugby identity David Logan, 69. The third man was 48.
The deaths join those of a young girl who was killed after jumping a fence at Rochedale, as well as two women, aged 40 and 46, who were swept away at a river in Gympie.
Robyn Carman, 59, was also killed on Christmas Day when a tree branch fell on her as she was walking home from a car breakdown at Helensvale on the Gold Coast.
Queensland Energy Minister Mark de Brenni revealed on Wednesday storms had felled 950 powerlines across the state’s southeast, 800 of which were on the Gold Coast.
He said it could be days before a plan was in place to restore power to some homes across the state, with the focus being on restoring power to critical infrastructure first.
Hospitals were also being placed on code brown and staff recalled from holiday ahead of a potential heatwave forecast for the Far North and southeast of the state.
=The Bureau of the Meteorology warned extreme heatwave conditions could grip the state’s central north, with low-intensity conditions forecast for much of Queensland.
In Victoria, a further two people have been killed since Christmas Day, including a woman at a campground in East Gippsland and a man killed by a tree branch at Caringal.
Areas across the state were still facing flood warnings on Thursday, including the Werribee, Snowy, Loddon River, and Avoca River, which had a moderate flood warning.
For its part, NSW had been largely spared the wild weather, with only patches of hail on Boxing Day. Nonetheless, multiple deaths had been recorded in drowning incidents.
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