PM Submission - Thomas Kearney - MCU18/0015

A record 900mm of rain was recorded at Springbrook, near the southern border, in the 24
hours leading up to landfall.

The resulting floods combined with storm surge on the Nerang River caused massive
flooding and evacuations at Macintosh Island.

     "The Great Cyclone - as they are calling last weekend's hurricane - will not be
     the last to strike."

     David Berry, Sunday Mail, February 28, 1954.


Police and members of the Surfers Paradise Surf Lifesaving Club mounted a daring
rescue effort, but were unable to rescue about 30 people, including small children and a
man with a badly injured leg, stranded on a rooftop on the island during the day.

A team of local surf lifesavers mounted a dramatic rescue during the eye of the storm
that night.

Widespread trail of damage

Cars were picked up by 2m of water brought up by waves onto the highway at Kirra.

The Moreton Bay tide gauge measured a storm surge of 0.64m and boats were left
stranded in treetops at Beachmere.

At Cudgen in northern NSW, houses were blown apart and trees bigger than one metre in
diameter were twisted out of the ground.




The Bureau of Meteorology cyclone tracking map shows the path of the 1954 Great Gold
Coast Cyclone from the Coral Sea down past Port Macquarie in New South Wales.
(Bureau of Meteorology)

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