In the midst of violent storm tearing through Kenmore and the wider 4069 community — including Chapel Hill, Brookfield, Fig Tree Pocket, and Kenmore Hills — residents began assisting one another while official crews mobilised. As trees crashed through roofs and powerlines fell across roads, locals rallied — as shown in community posts offering chainsaws, four-wheel drives, and spare rooms to neighbours.
Warnings That Came True
Just a week earlier, meteorologists had sounded the alarm. Weather presenter Tony Auden warned South East Queenslanders that the same mix of wind shear and coastal air patterns behind the 2008 Gap Storm and 2014 supercell was reforming over the region.
“We could potentially have the right mix of ingredients to trigger some dangerous cells,” he wrote on his Facebook page, cautioning that timing and wind changes could turn ordinary thunderstorms into something “really nasty.”
His forecast proved correct. On Sunday, October 26, Brisbane was battered by wind gusts up to 96 km/h and hail up to five centimetres, with heavy rain affecting suburbs from Ipswich to Brisbane’s west.
Powerless but Not Helpless
The storm’s fury was immediate and far-reaching. Nearly 70,000 homes lost electricity across South East Queensland, including almost 40,000 in Brisbane and 15,000 in Ipswich. By dawn Monday, more than 17,000 properties were still without power, with Brisbane’s western suburbs among the hardest hit.
Energex said the storm caused significant damage, and safety concerns were slowing restoration.
Even so, many locals took matters into their own hands — safely. Roads were littered with branches and tangled wires. Local posts reported Kenmore Road between Sunset Road and Spinkabrae Street was impassable due to fallen trees. Residents warned others on social media to steer clear while waiting for Council crews.
Good Samaritans Step Forward
While Energex and SES worked around the clock, the Kenmore community didn’t stand by. Alessio Cooper, a local small-business owner, posted to the 4069 Community Facebook group, offering help to anyone who needed it.
Armed with two chainsaws, a pole saw, and a 4WD, Alessio and his mates Cole and Liam spent the day clearing fallen trees from driveways and roads. “We just want to make sure everyone’s safe,” he wrote — a message that drew strong engagement and comments of gratitude in the group.
For some residents, the help couldn’t come soon enough.
Neighbours Coming Together
Group comments show neighbours offering accommodation and assistance; volunteers reported checking on vulnerable residents. With prolonged outages, some families reported difficulty contacting emergency services.
In the age of social media, the 4069 Community Facebook group functioned as an impromptu hub for local updates and offers of help. Members shared outage information and local damage photos to warn others. The group became a living record of resilience — people offering tarps, generators, or even just reassurance.
Elsewhere online, a Reddit thread about Kenmore captured the city’s anger after footage appeared to show someone interfering with power lines during the chaos, allegedly worsening the blackout. “You’re literally taught ‘look up and live’,” one commenter wrote. “How he didn’t get 415 volts to the heart is beyond me.”
Across the Western Suburbs
The storm didn’t spare the surrounding suburbs. Hail up to five or six centimetres was reported in parts of the western suburbs, including Pullenvale. In Goodna and Ipswich, fallen trees blocked railway lines and caused significant transport delays.
Widely shared footage showed the storm front sweeping across Brisbane with frequent lightning. The images were hauntingly familiar to those who remembered The Gap Storm of 2008, which destroyed dozens of homes, many of them in the same corridor between Kenmore and Arana Hills.
After the Storm: The Cleanup, the Forecast, and the Heat
Thunderstorms are still possible across Queensland’s central and south east regions this week as a cool change moves through, although Brisbane and the Gold Coast may be spared the worst conditions. Temperatures in Brisbane will climb to around 37°C before dropping sharply to 21°C on Tuesday, while a Bureau of Meteorology heatwave warning remains in place for central and northern parts of the state where highs could reach the mid-40s, prompting total fire bans and heightened bushfire danger until early next week.
Meanwhile, Energex crews continued restorations across affected zones. The outage map showed widespread outages across Brisbane’s west, with staggered restoration times. For some customers, restoration was expected to take longer than a day due to safety and access constraints.
For many, power may not return until midweek. But in true 4069 fashion, the lights of community spirit never dimmed. As the community often proves, when the lights go out, people switch on for each other.
Where to Get Updates and Help
• Power and outages: Energex Outage Finder
• Emergency assistance: SES (132 500), Triple Zero (000) for life-threatening emergencies
• Brisbane City Council Hotline: 3403 8888
• School closures: Queensland Government School Alerts
• Community updates: 4069 Community Facebook Group
Published 27-Oct-2025
