Trent Dalton, Robyn Ironside and Patrick Lion

The Courier-Mail

Brisbane has been officially declared a natural disaster area, as soldiers help to repair damage caused by one of the biggest storms to hit the city in 20 years.

Photo: Aerial view of damage at The Gap. (Bruce Long)

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.

Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard activated natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements, including the deployment of 40 soldiers, and pledged to cover half of the State Government's clean-up costs.

"The Government's thoughts are with the thousands of families that have been caught up in this disaster and most particularly with the family of the young man who tragically lost his life," Ms Gillard said.

FEARS OVER WATER SAFETY

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

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman told 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.

Photo: Army personnel tarp a roof at The Gap. (Bruce Long)

The council advises people to boil drinking water first, or purchase bottled water.

From 8pm tonight, Brisbane City Council will provide free bottled water at The Gap State School.

He said insurance companies had already received 4000 claims - and that had surprised insurers who dealt with 30,000 claims in the aftermath of the catastrophic Cyclone Larry.

The State Emergency Service had received 648 jobs and there were 576 reports of electrical wires down.

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.

Courier -Mail reporter Trent Dalton told of his shock at seeing an intense corridor of damage.

"It's unbelievable", he told couriermail.com.au.

He said Waterworks Road resident Bob Rowe completely lost his roof - and parts of it were still hanging on power lines 40m away.

"It's unbelievable mate – just complete and utter devastation", Dalton said.

"It seems to have cut a swathe across Waterworks Road."

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.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24662429-5018248,00.html

www.standeyo.com/NEWS/08_Earth_Changes/081119.Brisbane.diz.area.html