Australia Weather News

The wait for Cyclone Alfred gave way to flood watch in Brisbane on Sunday as local creeks filled up and spilled over.

Residents who prepared for the cyclone now have little to do but wait and see how their efforts will pay off against rising floodwaters.

'My backyard is a pool now'

Police officer Clarry Desribes said it only took two hours for Enogerra Creek to break its banks and fill his property.

"My backyard is a pool now," he said.

His family spent three days moving things up into the main house in case the fallout from ex-Cyclone Alfred overwhelmed their local waterway.

The drains at the front of the property are known to burst during heavy rain, so Mr Desribes was expecting water to threaten the house from both sides.

The family bought the house recently and were aware it was prone to flooding.

"We knew the risk," Mr Desribes said.

The property includes a traditional Queenslander raised up off the ground and a shop facing the street, which his wife uses as an office.

He said the shop and the price made the property a viable proposition, and they do not regret their decision.

"We've done a lot of research about what to do and what levels of water will come through," he said.

"We're ready for it."

'We are all prepared to leave'

A few streets away, the owners of a single-storey Queenslander were part way through preparing for the next flood.

Having jacked it up higher than their neighbour's roof line, the owners had done plenty to keep it out of the reach of the river creeping into their backyard.

Vidya Gopinath and his wife put their two dogs in the car and left as Enogerra Creek crept up toward their backyard.

As they were packing the car, the creek was taking over their neighbour's lawn.

Just a few more centimetres and it would breach the edge of their terrace, pouring into their pool and under their house.

"We are expecting it, so that's why we are all prepared to leave," Mr Gopinath said.

Everything they could carry they stacked in rooms on the second floor of their house.

All that remained downstairs was some gym equipment, couches, and a washing machine.

The couple were resigned to losing those if water came into their house again.

In the floods of 2022, they said it reached the ceiling of the lower level of their house.

"Hopefully, it doesn't happen again," Mr Gopinath said.

'From nothing to bursting banks in six hours'

Further upstream, residents in Ashgrove remember the floods of two years ago well.

More than 400mm of rain fell on parts of South-East Queensland over a 24-hour period in February 2022.

With little warning, torrents tore down fences and houses quickly filled with muddy water.

Stephen Smith said people in his street overlooking Enoggera Creek were traumatised by that flood.

"We're living through it again by the look of it," he said.

He wasn't worried about his own family.

They had water through their property in 2022 and rebuilt higher on their block.

"We learned a few lessons after that," he said.

As rain fell steadily over the weekend, a stormwater drain in the street erupted under the pressure, adding to the deluge and the disquiet.

Gusty winds tormented the suburb on Saturday night, leaving tattered trees and broken branches in their wake.

Having prepared for the wind, some residents were still anxiously getting ready for the next event — possible flooding.

Mr Smith spent the morning checking on his neighbours and keeping an eye on the rapidly rising creek.

"It's gone from nothing to just about bursting the banks, basically in about six hours," Mr Smith said.

A few more hours of rain could be all that's needed to again test those living at the river's edge.