South-east Queensland has been hit by a third wild storm in a week, inflicting more pain on victims still battling to recover from the earlier flooding and gale damage.
A large area of the state was battered by a band of storms that swept across from the west last night.
Earlier yesterday, an 85-year-old woman became the second victim of the storms that ravaged the state this week, which have been estimated to have caused at least $500 million damage. The woman died when the car she was in was swept away in racing floodwaters west of Brisbane. Police recovered her body yesterday afternoon.
The death followed that of a 20-year-old man on Sunday night.
A Department of Emergency Services spokesman said Blackwater, near Emerald in central Queensland, was hit hard last night.
Early reports listed 20 homes with roof damage and up to 100 homes left storm damaged, the spokesman said.
Gregory MP Vaughan Johnson said the storm was ''terrifying''. He said he was driving to an appointment when the storm slammed into Blackwater, forcing him to turn back to Emerald. ''The hail was like golf balls there, there's no doubt about it,'' he said. ''It was horizontal coming down on the ground. It's pretty grim there, there's been a lot of damage, a lot of devastation.''
More than 40,000 homes and businesses were blacked out at 8pm, according to Energex, predominantly in Brisbane's north, and in the Logan and Beenleigh areas south of the city.
South-east Queensland was still mopping up after Sunday's storm that damaged about 4000 homes in Brisbane's north-west, and Wednesday night's downpour that flooded the Ipswich area, west of Brisbane.
About 10,000 insurance claims worth $95 million have been lodged so far, but insurers say the total damage bill, including infrastructure, is nudging $500 million.
Premier Anna Bligh activated the state's natural disaster plan yesterday, allowing greater coordination and assistance to more families than the previous declaration on Sunday.
''You are reminded of the awesome power of nature,'' Ms Bligh said as she toured damage around Ipswich.
Emergency services received more than 1200 calls for help, with Ipswich, Bundamba and the Lockyer Valley the worst-affected areas.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said emergency workers and Australian Defence Force personnel were responding to the calls, as well as dealing with damage caused by Sunday's storm.
''It's like a wall of water washed through the city with cars washed off roads and very widespread flooding,'' he said.
A pregnant woman was rescued and taken to the Gold Coast Hospital after she went into labour and was stuck between two overflowing creeks near Oxenford Road, Tamborine.
In other good news to come from the disaster, six deer washed away from their Redbank home by floodwaters on Thursday morning were found safe in a retirement village in Goodna, 1km away.
The region's dams have also benefited, gaining almost two months' additional supply. AAP