Mammoth clean-up efforts in recent days, including assistance from the Australian Defence Force and Disaster Relief Australia, have helped dent the recovery workload but significant clearing work is still to be done.

City of Logan residents who are able to transport their green waste to Council’s waste facilities are being encouraged to do so this weekend. It will be accepted at no cost.

All loads greater than two cubic metres must be taken to Council’s Browns Plains waste facility at 41 Recycle Way in Heritage Park.

Residents who are unable to attend a waste facility should leave their green waste on the kerb for Council and contractors to collect.

Green waste piles should be stacked neatly to make collection easier for Council, and to reduce hazards to pedestrians and drivers in the area.

Council staff and volunteers are also door knocking impacted communities to assess properties still in need of storm damage assistance. Information cards are being left at addresses where no one is home.

Residents in need of assistance can get in touch with Council at Storm Help

Mayor Darren Power said Council was preparing for another busy weekend ahead.

He said Council staff and volunteers had been working hard throughout their Christmas break to support impacted families and would continue to do so until the job was done.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is visible now but we know there is still a long way to go,” Cr Power said.

“We’ve had everything thrown at us here, but our staff have been working day and night.

“Council’s role is coordination and for Council a lot of work happens behind the scenes, in addition to our crews out on the road.

“The more people on the ground, the quicker this gets done.”

Mayor Power has also welcomed a Queensland Government announcement, made yesterday, that $1 million of funding support will be made available to the City of Logan.

“We have a long road ahead and every dollar will drive our recovery efforts further,” Cr Power said.

As at noon on Friday, January 5, key information for the community included:

• Residents attending Community Recovery Hubs for support in applying for financial assistance must bring Photo ID, and their Medicare card. Some people have had to be turned away as no ID was available.

• More than 800 people attended the Community Recovery Hub at Jimboomba since it opened earlier this week. The hub, located in the Jimboomba Library and Community Centre on Honora St, provides a place for residents to engage with Community Recovery staff, receive referrals for community and government agencies, apply for hardship grants and receive insurance information. Support for residents impacted by storms, blackouts or flooding is available through the Community Recovery Hotline – 1800 173 349 – or online.

• More than 60 people attended the Community Recovery Hub at Cedar Grove yesterday. The support service, operating out of the Landcare Environmental Centre, 441 Cedar Grove Rd, from 9:00am to 4:00pm will operate through to Sunday, January 7.

• Kerbside clean-up will begin on Monday (January 8) as planned for six suburbs in the southwest. But collections will be done in a sequence that leaves the hardest-hit suburbs until last. This will allow Council crews to clear vegetation from footpaths and will ensure Cleanaway trucks do not hinder the current clean-up. The latter suburbs may not be serviced until the week beginning January 15. The order is: Park Ridge South, New Beith, North McLean, South McLean, Greenbank, Munruben.

• Assistance is available for primary producers, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations in the City of Logan impacted by the storms. For more details contact the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority on 1800 623 946 or go online. For freight subsidies, contact DAF on 13 25 23 or online.

• The Queensland Small Business Commissioner’s office will waive mediation fees for eligible small business tenants and landlords located in Logan at the time of the storms. For more information on this and other support provided by the QSBC go online. 

• Road debris and road closures can be reported to Council on 3412 3412. All non-urgent requests can be reported online.

• Restoring roads is Council’s priority. Some Council parks are closed and will remain so until the ground dries and more resources become available to remove fallen vegetation and complete safety inspections. Signs indicate if a park is closed.

• To assist with the clean-up, residents can dispose of storm-related waste at Council’s transfer stations at no cost. The Browns Plains transfer station is the preferred location and loads greater than two cubic metres must be taken there. Council’s waste contractor Cleanaway continues to collect general, recycling and green waste wheelie bins where possible. If a bin is missed, residents are advised to leave the bin out, if it is safe to do so, and it will be collected as soon as possible. To report a missed bin go online or call 3412 3412.