Listen to Australian and world news and follow trending topics with .
Queensland may be sweltering on the last day of an unusually warm winter, but in Tasmania it’s a different story.
Strong winds and floods cause headaches.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff says the impact of the weather on schools is still uncertain.
“At this stage, it is not expected that there will be widespread school closures, and we expect schools to be open tomorrow. There may be some individual circumstances, depending on the damage caused by power cuts in schools, and indeed school busing , bus transportation, routes that have been disrupted, this could impact school closures, but we expect to release this information as soon as possible.”
These residents in a trailer park decided to evacuate.
VOXIE: “It’s traumatic, where did I put this, where did I put that, where’s my tablets, where’s my toothbrush.”
More than 200 millimeters of rain has fallen on the island in the past week, triggering 20 flood warnings.
Evacuation orders have been issued for several towns along the south-eastern Derwent River region, due to the risk of flooding.
The SES has been busy with emergency calls, with hundreds of calls coming in in the last 24 hours.
Tasmanian SES executive director Mick Lowe says they are also trying to reach as many people as possible to warn them of the looming threat.
“There are a lot of isolated residents in that area. We’ve been knocking on doors proactively all morning to make sure people are aware of the danger that’s coming. And hopefully that puts people in a position where they can make good decisions and be informed and not be there when potential floods and floods arrive.”
The Premier says emergency aid is already in place for those affected by the floods.
“We also have our emergency assistance grants for people which are now available in the affected areas, particularly in the Derwent Valley and those isolated by the floods, the Central Highlands and the Derwent Valley. Grants of up to $250 for individuals and $1,000 for families who are interested.”]]
But it’s not just the floods that worry residents and authorities.
Wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour hit many areas.
This includes Matsuka Island in the south of the state, which was hit by gusts equivalent to a category three tropical cyclone.
Alex Melitsis of the Bureau of Meteorology says this is unprecedented weather.
“Tasmanians are used to strong winds at this time of year. But these have been particularly rare, particularly last night where we saw some of these records broken at some stations in terms of wind gusts.”
The wind knocked out electricity in several homes, with power lines downed or under water.
An estimated 30,000 properties are currently without electricity and Alex Melitsis says the situation could get even worse.
“This evening we will see those strong winds rearrange over parts of the north and west and we may also see some destructive wind gusts over the west coast and parts of the north coast and elevated areas of the north east. That is very likely to be this evening and overnight, with winds easing tomorrow morning. Fortunately parts of the south east, including Hobart, are out of the warning area for this evening, so the main risk is to the north and west.”
Michelle Doukalas from Derwent Valley Council says the situation remains dynamic, but they are prepared for the river to reach its peak.
“The Council has modeled this scenario in the past and we are simply reviewing actions to ensure everyone is safe and prepared.”