SES crew return from flood zone

Bundaberg State Emergency Service officers Chris Scheuber, Willy McAuley, Paul Hall and Cam Sage are back from a five-day deployment in flood-ravaged St George.

WATER lapped at the roof gutters of homes and rushed over the top of street signs when a Bundaberg SES crew touched down in flood-ravaged St George.

Aboard a helicopter en route from Roma, team leader Cam Sage and four Bundaberg SES officers stared in awe at a seemingly endless inland sea.

“It silenced us completely. We just looked at each other and thought, ‘what have we got ourselves into?’” he said.

The previously drought-stricken south-west Queensland town had been transformed into a flooded disaster zone with rivers of water rushing down streets and through people’s homes.

“If you imagine it in Bundaberg; it would be like the Burnett River taking out the CBD, Bourbong Street and Quay Street would be completely underwater,” he said.

Mr Sage and SES officers from Woodgate, Kingaroy, Murgon and Wondai replaced exhausted St George emergency crews providing relief to wet, homeless and hungry residents.

Officers navigated boats through flooded streets to rescue residents from water-logged homes and deliver food to the stranded.

“Some of the houses in town were so submerged you could only see the roof and most had water halfway up the walls,” he said.

As co-ordinator, Mr Sage arranged for helicopters to deliver medicines and food to residents in Thallon and Dirranbandi.

Working around the clock to keep up with phone calls from distraught locals, Mr Sage said his team was spurred on by the kind words of those they helped.

“When we told them we were from Bundaberg, they just couldn’t believe we’d come all this way,” he said.

While the Bundaberg SES crew and his accomplices arrived home and back on dry land yesterday, Mr Sage said the St George effort was far from over.

“The extent of the damage won’t become apparent until the water subsides,” he said.