Qld storm recovery to take months: Bligh

AAP © [Enlarge photo]

Related Articles

• Aussie revellers party like it's 2009 January 1, 2009, 10:14 am
• New pipe network will curb Hinze water waste: Bligh January 1, 2009, 9:25 am
• Barrier Reef coral growth 'will stop' January 2, 2009, 3:33 pm
• Qld Govt denies knee-jerk rail crossing response January 2, 2009, 4:42 pm
• Train crash speeds-up crossing upgrades January 2, 2009, 7:39 pm

Families hit by the super storm that swept through south-east Queensland have been warned it could be months until they can return home.

Premier Anna Bligh told hard-hit families to prepare for a long wait as the bill for the storm was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

An army of 2,000 volunteers, emergency services officers and soldiers on Wednesday continued the clean-up from the storm, which left 4,000 homes damaged and at least 85 uninhabitable.

Ms Bligh has announced the formation of a task force headed by building industry leader John Gaskin, who led the recovery after flooding in Mackay earlier this year.

"It's a disaster no doubt about that ... it's going to be quite a task," Mr Gaskin said of the situation in north-west Brisbane.

The premier warned the recovery would continue into next year for many families.

"There are many hundreds of families who will not see their homes fully restored for up to several months," she said.

Visiting a community recovery centre in the inner Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove, Ms Bligh said more than $250,000 in cash had been given out in 24 hours.

She expected the recovery centre to remain open for at least a few weeks.

About 100 home owners are awaiting the arrival of tarpaulins amid forecasts of more rain.

Emergency Management Queensland executive director Frank Pagano said he hoped the storm damage would not be compounded by more poor weather.

"Expect and plan for the worst and pray for the best," he said.

Electricity has been restored to all but a handful of the 220,000 homes and businesses that lost power during Sunday's storm.

Insurance Council of Australia Queensland president Bradley Heath said at least $100 million in claims had been lodged by home and business owners.

But he expected the final damage bill to be in the "hundreds of millions" when considering power lines, schools, and other facilities.

"It will outdo Cyclone Larry in terms of claims," he said.

"It would be very rare that a claim in this event would be rejected, and I'm not aware of any at this stage."

About 1,300 emergency services personnel from Queensland and NSW are working alongside 900 soldiers in the clean-up effort.

About 8,100 damage assessments have been conducted so far, and more than 18,000 calls made to an SES hotline.