Redland City Council crews have been out in force repairing potholes and mowing long grass following last month’s heavy rainfall.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Council was prioritising its resources to ensure roads, parks and open spaces were safe for all users.

“Heavy rainfall, like that experienced across all of south east Queensland at the end of February, can cause damage to local roads,” Cr Williams said.

“On Redlands Coast this included not only a large number of potholes, but a high volume of debris, road shoulder damage, some damage from flooded roads around stormwater structures, and scouring and rutting to unsealed gravel roads on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands.”

Cr Williams said Council received 114 reports of road damage following the heavy rain, and 90 of those were for potholes.

“Once it was safe to do so, Council roads crews prioritised the removal of debris and repairing potholes,” she said.

“The majority of the potholes were repaired between March 1 and 4 and, since then, about 140 work orders have been completed.

“Our crews will continue to monitor the condition of our roads and make repairs as needed.”

Cr Williams said long grass in parks and open spaces was another byproduct of heavy rainfall followed by days of sunshine.

“There was so much rainfall that the ground was too wet to mow until 10 March, 10 days after the rain had stopped, so we are a bit behind our normal mowing schedule,” she said.

“However Council staff and contractors are working longer hours and on Saturdays to cover as much ground as possible, and are prioritising high-use parks with playgrounds, as well as sports fields, ahead of open spaces.”

Cr Williams said residents may notice more grass left behind in parks after they are mowed.

“This is because the grass is so long but it will eventually be mulched with subsequent mowing as we get on top of the grass growth spurt following the rain,” she said.

“So although residents will be able to use our parks, they will notice grass on their shoes.

“Council is responsible for mowing 19,000 hectares of land – that’s an area larger than Moreton Island – so I encourage everyone to be patient as our mowing crews make their way around all our green spaces.”

To report a pothole, call Council on 3829 8999 or lodge an online request form.

A large crew of Redland City Council officers and sub-contractors is helping neighbouring councils clean up after recent severe flooding.

Mayor Karen Williams said Redland City had deployed officers to a number of neighbouring councils that suffered significant damage from the recent floods, including Gympie and Brisbane.

“In the Redlands, when our neighbours need help we roll up our sleeves and lend a hand; and that goes for our Local Government neighbours as well,” Cr Williams said.

“We were fortunate not to experience the scale of flooding seen in Brisbane and some of our other neighbours, which means we are now in a position to help them get back on their feet.

“We are only too happy to do so, knowing they would do the same for us.”

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner chat with a Redland City Council crew member helping with the flood clean-up in Brisbane.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said support from Redland City Council after one of the city’s worst flooding events was helping residents and businesses get back on their feet faster.

“We are so grateful for this support and knowing our neighbours in Redlands have our back during our biggest ever clean-up is a huge boost for our community in their time of need,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Mayor Williams and the team at Redland City Council are known for their regional support and to have crews help fast-track Brisbane’s recovery is a great example of what can be achieved when Councils work together.”

Cr Williams said Council crews were on the ground in Brisbane helping with the clean-up after the flood.

“I know Lord Mayor Schrinner and the wider Brisbane City Council team are working around the clock to support their residents and Redland City Council is happy to support them in any way we can,” she said.

“A crew of 25 officers from Redlands construction crews and 31 sub-contractors with tippers, bobcats and excavators have been picking up flood-damaged household items from kerbs across south Brisbane and from the industrial area of Rocklea.

“The Redlands crew picked up about 1200 cubic metres, or about 150 truckloads, of rubbish every day last week, which is a phenomenal effort.

“I know the Redlands crew members have been working long 12-hour days and I thank them for helping to make a real difference during this clean-up in Brisbane.”

Redland City Councillors today supported a request by Mayor Karen Williams to extend support for those impacted by the recent flooding experienced across South East Queensland.

Cr Williams said her Mayoral Minute tabled at today’s Council meeting would use Council’s existing COVID-19 support package as the basis to help those experiencing hardship following the recent rainfall.

“Over the 10 days between 23 February and 7 March, the Redlands received a record rainfall, with almost 850 mm received at the Redlands weather station,” Cr Williams said.

“While we didn’t experience the widespread flooding seen by some of our neighbours, a small number of residents, sporting clubs and community groups were significantly impacted, including three families who had to be temporarily relocated from their homes.

“Today’s decision means Council officers can now apply our existing COVID-19 support mechanisms to help those significantly impacted by the floods so they can get back on their feet sooner.

“When we adopted this $2 million support package two years ago it was focussed on supporting our community through a global pandemic and, while the challenge has changed, the intent is still the same, we want to ensure our city bounces back from the recent flooding as quickly as possible.

“Council has been working with State Government officers to support those impacted and, following today’s decision, our officers will continue to work with their State counterparts to identify those that need extra help.”

Cr Williams said today’s Mayoral Minute also outlined the support already provided throughout the flooding.

“We know our SES crews are some of the best in the State and the recent weather events again showed why they are so highly regarded,” Cr Williams said.

“Additionally Council supported the community through more than 18,500 sandbags.

“Following the event our officers have been out on the ground supporting local community groups and sports clubs and we have waived waste disposal fees for these groups, as well as for commercial providers that are assisting residents and clubs with the clean-up.”

Cr Williams said Council’s support for the flood recovery extended beyond the city.

“We know some of our neighbours have experienced devastating impacts that will take months to recover from and as always the Redlands Coast community is here to help,’ Cr Williams said.

“We have had officers deployed to Gympie and other cities to assist, including a full crew of 25 Council officers and 31 contractors who are assisting with the Brisbane recovery efforts.

“I have also spoken with local businesses with trucks and machinery about how they can help and in response they have rallied by supporting Councils across the region.”