Storms In SE Queensland

The rainy season has arrived! But not without a cost:

BRISBANE has been declared a natural disaster area, as soldiers help repair damage caused by one of the biggest storms to hit the city in two decades.

More than 32,000 properties across Brisbane, Redcliffe and the Gold Coast were without power this afternoon after yesterday's storm brought hail and wind gusts of up to 130km/h, ripped roofs from houses and toppled power lines and trees.

...Earlier today reside living in Brisbane's storm-battered western suburbs have been warned that their tap water is not safe to drink after the roof of a reservoir collapsed.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has warned all residents and visitors to The Gap not to drink tap water without boiling it first.

The roof of the reservoir at The Gap, which provides water to homes in The Gap in Brisbane's west, caved in following last night's storm.

The roof would have been covered in bird droppings and other animal faecal matter, making it potentially hazardous to human health.

...This afternoon, 58,000 Energex customers were still without power, although Energex was hoping to reduce that number to between 15,000-20,000 by 6pm.

Premier Anna Bligh said the damage was as bad as that caused by Cyclone Larry, which flattened Innisfail in 2006.

...Dalton stood on a resident's back deck and looked out "to views across The Gap that were never once there".

He said houses which had once been completely concealed by trees were now laid bare.

"It looks like someone's dropped a military airstrike on this particular part, right through The Gap."

Dalton said any tree taller than 10m "has just sort of snapped in half".

He said a 45cm thick pine tree at the back of Mr Rowe's house snapped in half and the missing piece had disappeared.

Reporter Robyn Ironside visited damage along Waterworks Road and Settlement Road.

"It was accurate in the way police were saying it looked like a war zone - I've never seen anything like it," she said.

"Big trees were snapped off, there are trees in pools, trees in gardens ..."

She said the playground at The Gap State School was completely demolished after a large tree crushed all the play equipment.

"I don't think there's a a single swing or slippery dip that could be salvaged", Ironside said.

She said the surprising nature of the damage was that it was confined to such a narrow area.

"There's an obvious area where it was just pummelled - and metres either side of it doesn't look like anything's happened at all".

She said trees and branches tangled in powerlines were such a mess. "It looks like they've been crocheted into them.