Posted by 
More than 8000 stricken homes in south-east Queensland face a tough stretch of days without power as the arduous post-storm recovery begins.
Logan, the Gold Coast hinterland and Scenic Rim areas are worst affected, hit by a heavy one-two weather punch over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
QFES Acting Deputy Commissioner Stephen Smith said "significant impact" had been caused by heavy rains, flash flooding and violent, turbulent winds.
READ MORE: 'Disaster' Japan plane crash resulting in fireball should have been avoided
"There's a huge amount of damage," Smith said.
"Our crews are out and about working with community, trying to recover those communities as quickly as possible, but there's a huge workload out there and there is a long tail to this recovery."
Current dam levels were not a concern because of better forecast weather ahead, officials said today.
Energex's Danny Donald said more than 8000 homes had no power and that they were "aiming for this weekend" to get people connected again, "either up and running via normal supply or by generation".
But Donald cautioned "it's still going to be a big task ahead", despite Energex having 1000 crew members in the field.
"In some areas we're not just making repairs, we're actually reconstructing whole sections of network."
Around 3600 homes in badly-hit Mount Tamborine have no power. Logan is next worst-affected, with 1800 homes still in black out.
The intention is to connect all homes to the grid, but some communities will be running off generational power because of severe infrastructure damage.
"We're not we're not talking one or two power poles, we're talking hundreds and hundreds," Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus said.
"So it will take quite a long time to restore."
A number of very large trees had been knocked down around the towns of Jimboomba, Cedar Vale Cedar Grove, the SES said.
Teams of expert loggers kitted out with specialist equipment and heavy duty chainsaws are working to clear roads.
State Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd said 5090 damage assessments to houses had been completed in south-east Queensland since Christmas, and 17 homes were "totally destroyed".
Boyd said restoration and rebuilding work will gather pace, now the worst of the weather had passed, promising government will ensure "every available set of boots" is on the ground to help.
Financial grants up $900 for individuals and families were available to cover essentials like food, medicine and clothing, she said, urging people to contact community recovery hubs.
READ MORE: Top Hamas official, who headed West Bank operations, killed in Beirut
From today, 50 ADF personnel are on the ground assisting, tasked with clearing debris.
QFES Deputy Commissioner Smith warned people to remain cautious, especially while driving on damaged or submerged roads.
READ MORE: Queensland man's home 'taken away in a flash' as flooding rages
"There's still a lot of water in our systems, moving through those creeks, still roads and infrastructure damage through those areas, a lot of hazard out there," he said.
"If you don't need to be out there, please don't … keep access for those restoring essential services."
