Drowning in despair

EVERY time it rains, Hinterland couple Jo and Darren Glenn say they battle “rapids as high as their heads” as they prepare sand bags for the inevitable flooding of their yard and home.

Their property of 13 years on Stradbroke Ave on Tamborine Mountain becomes a lake during rain as a lack of storm water drains on the street means large volumes of water have nowhere to go but directly on to their property, flooding their yard and lower level of their house.

They say the flooding has cost them more than $80,000 in property damage.

Mrs Glenn said the Scenic Rim Council had “ignored” their pleas to build drainage on the street.

She said the couple panicked and became “traumatised” when rain was forecast.

“We can’t stop (the flooding) – something needs to be done because we can’t take much more of this,” she said.

“We were promised a storm water drain in 2013, but they still haven’t done anything.

“Countless phone calls, emails, letters sent with documentation and evidence, and still nothing. I am at my absolute wits’ end and my health is suffering.

“I am devastated and have never felt more low or let down in my life.

“If things don’t change soon we will have to look at legal options.”

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said council investigations and a report confirmed the property was situated in a natural downhill corridor and that council had “generously” offered an easement to fix the issue.

Mrs Glenn, who does not believe an easement would solve the problem, said she arranged for a council infrastructure engineer to visit her property to discuss a potential solution, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute. “I finally had some hope and thought maybe something would be done to help us,” she said.

“We’ve spent so much money on repairing all the damage and my husband is a builder, so you could imagine the damage would be in the hundred of thousands if he wasn’t able to do some of the repairs himself.”

Mrs Glenn and her husband purchased the property 13 years ago, but say they were not told of the flooding issue before signing.

The flooding had been made worse after the construction of a bridge on a neighbouring driveway which was redirecting the flow of even more water towards their property.