A federal minister says Brisbane City Council has been “caught short” of sandbags, forcing residents to queue overnight as Cyclone Alfred approaches.
Labor member for Lilley, Anika Wells – whose electorate including Boondall, Chermside, Sandgate and Zillmere – told 4BC on Tuesday the 2022 floods provided a framework for disaster preparation in Brisbane.
People collecting sandbags from Morningside on Monday.Credit: Dan Peled
“I know people want us all to work together … But it does look like council has been caught short on this,” Wells said.
“I think one of the lessons out of the 2022 floods was that we should have 150,000 sandbags in the city at any time where they need to be deployed.
“They were not ready. Yesterday I think about 75,000 sandbags were given out. People have been queuing all night.
Earlier today, Brisbane City Council announced it had opened four extra sandbag depots – at Acacia Ridge, Toowong, Camp Hill and Boondall where residents are asked to bring their own shovels and cable ties – in addition to the other 24/7 depots.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said about 100,000 sandbags were collected in the past three days, including 74,000 on Monday, making it the highest daily demand in council history.
On Monday, sandbags were temporarily unavailable at council depots due to the surge in demand.
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