17 July 2023
Published 28 February 2022
The stranded community of White Patch has already been reconnected to Bribie Island, with construction of a temporary inland track now complete.
Yesterday the causeway linking the Bribie Island community was blown apart by 830mm of rain during the disastrous storms.
The temporary road won’t be open to the public, it will only be used to deliver vital supplies, food and potable water.
Mayor Peter Flannery said Council staff are currently calling the 75 impacted properties in White Patch to discuss the individual needs of their household.
“My principle concern right now is for people with limited mobility and the elderly to ensure they’re cared for and have any requisite medical supplies to hand,” Mayor Flannery said.
“I have to recognise the heroic effort of Graham Gibb and the Bribie Island VMR, Unitywater, and the SES to help us get 500L of fresh water to the community today.
“Residents received a warning text at 6am this morning that water had been cut to their suburb and within three hours emergency supplies had arrived thanks to Voluntary Marine Rescue and SES.
“This was a lightning-paced response that was helped enormously by generous locals who offered their expertise and equipment to help in whatever way they could.
“I was out there this morning meeting with locals, it was reassuring to see firsthand that they are all keeping a level head about this disaster and helping each other out.
“There will be another water drop tomorrow morning, that load will come in by 4WD along the temporary track.”
Unitywater are on site working on a temporary fix to reconnect the water supply within the next 24-48 hours from the Bribie Island water main, before a permanent solution is sorted.
Division 1 Councillor Brooke Savige said she’s proud to see locals coming together during these tough times.
“The Bribie community is a close-knit one, and always have each other’s backs,” she said.
“In fact locals have already created a dedicated ‘White Patch – Emergency Group’ on Facebook to keep everyone connected.
“I encourage everyone to subscribe to the free MoretonAlert text service to stay abreast of developments through this emergency.
“Today’s sunshine allowed some people to start cleaning up but there’s still a long road ahead.
“We are doing all we can, but it’s important that everyone stays connected with their neighbours, tunes in to 101.5FM for updates, and keeps their mobile phones charged and handy for messages via SMS, on social media and via Council’s website.”