Mackay floods - one year on

The anniversary of the Mackay floods this Sunday (15 February) will be a time for the residents of Mackay and surrounding areas to pause and reflect on the events of the past 12 months.

Minister for Public Works, Housing and ICT Robert Schwarten said the devastating floods saw more than 4,000 homes damaged in the region.

“On February 15 last year 625mm of rain – or 24 inches in the old scale – fell on Mackay in just six hours,” he said.

“As we have witnessed again just recently in the state’s north, no region can cope with that amount of rain.

“However, the Bligh Government got to work immediately to ensure that the community recovered from the deluge as quickly as possible.

“The Government set up a Flood Recovery Taskforce headed by respected building industry figure John Gaskin, who is also the chairman of the Building Services Authority.”

Mr Schwarten said it was a mammoth task but one that Mr Gaskin faced head on – ably assisted by the many and various Government departments and agencies including the BSA, the Department of Communities, Emergency Management Queensland and others.

“The fact that the major insurance companies in the region, and the Insurance Council of Australia, were also part of the Task Force contributed to its success.

“The Task Force met for the last time in December - as they have done their job, and they have done it well.

“Insurance Council figures show that the vast majority of the homes that sustained major damage have been repaired.

“Of the worst hit homes – those that sustained major damage and were uninhabitable – 298 have been repaired, leaving only two to be fixed.

“There were a further 1041 homes repaired that were damaged to a lesser extent where the residents had to move out while repairs were carried out, with only 19 homes of this category left to fix.

“The owners of these homes still to be repaired have reported this is their choice because they have opted to wait for their preferred builder to become available to complete their job.”

Mr Schwarten said the residents of the region have come a long way since the February 2008 floods, and the State Government and the Flood Recovery Task Force could be justifiably proud of their efforts in assisting them.

Media contacts: Minister’s office: 3237 1832
BSA: Justin Coomber 3404 3027