Flash Flooding Forces School Closures Across South-East Queensland

Heavy rain and flash flooding have forced the closure of over a dozen schools across south-east Queensland, with hundreds of calls for help reported on Thursday. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts conditions to continue easing across the south-east, although isolated falls of up to 40 millimetres are possible.

Flood Response and Rescues

The State Emergency Service responded to 277 call-outs between 6am and 2pm on Thursday, and two campers were winched to safety after being cut off by floodwater at Mount Barney. A further 141 call-outs were received between 2pm on Thursday and 4am on Friday. One person was rescued by emergency services overnight after a motorist got stuck in floodwater in the Lockyer Valley.

Emergency services were called to Old Laidley Forest Hill Road just before 4am, and a swift water rescue team brought a man to safety. A man who drove into floodwater at Morayfield was rescued from his sinking car by a local reporter and a bystander, Daniel Hainey.

Weather Forecast and Warnings

Bureau of Meteorology community information officer Daniel Hayes said the widespread heavy rain was set to ease throughout Friday morning, with a reprieve for areas that had seen the heaviest falls.

"We are likely to still have fairly widespread shower and thunderstorm activity across most of Queensland throughout Friday and into the weekend, but it will be more isolated with those moderate to heavy falls," he said.

Mr Hayes said lighter falls were likely in the coming days before the return of more widespread heavier shower and thunderstorm activity, initially through western Queensland on Sunday. The bureau issued multiple initial minor flood warnings on Thursday, including for the Maroochy River, Coochin Creek and Mooloolah River.

Rescue Details

A man who drove his four-wheel drive at speed through water on Buchanan Road at Morayfield was rescued by a local reporter and Daniel Hainey, who swam in to help. The reporter, who was in the area reporting, said it was scary to see how quickly the car started sinking.

"Between driving in and then becoming submerged and starting to sink, it was a matter of 20 to 30 seconds to the point where he couldn't get out," he said.

"To see it first hand was very scary. We were just very, very lucky that the rear door opened and we were able to drag him to safety."

Mr Hainey said he could not open the door due to the pressure of the water and attempted to open the hatch and kick a window. He said the man who was rescued was thankful and in shock.

"He's very, very lucky. It wasn't feeling like it was going to be a good story in the end, to be honest, so he is very, very lucky," Mr Hainey said.

The reporter said he had "never seen a better advertisement" for the phrase "if it's flooded, forget it".

"I will be going nowhere near floodwaters in my car, because to see how quickly it unfolded and see how quickly he got into a life or death situation — very, very scary," he said.