Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli is urging stronger preparation measures to protect communities from future extreme weather events in the wake of ex-Cyclone Alfred.

Hinterland communities were severely impacted by the heavy rain and storms that struck the Sunshine Coast in March.

Nambour was one of the areas that bore the brunt of the downpour, experiencing 365mm of rain – the heaviest recorded in 33 years.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the need to prepare for more extreme weather would be “vitally important” in the future.

“We had to be ready for a storm surge, heavy rain and damaging winds,” she said, reflecting on the events in March.

Residents took heed of the warnings, with over 200,000 sandbags distributed across the Sunshine Coast.

“That is a lot of people shovelling sand into sandbags,” Cr Natoli said.

“We know that people did take it seriously and they were prepared.”

However, the torrential downpour overwhelmed parts of the region, particularly in Nambour, where homes were submerged and residents faced life-threatening conditions.

Resident Claire Robinson said it was a terrifying experience.

She said “everything floated” and they were “still suffering” from the damage to their home.

“It [the rain] came through so rapidly that we could not do anything to stop it,” she said.

Her neighbour’s car was swept away by the floodwaters.

After visiting affected areas in the aftermath of the extreme downpour, Cr Natoli said the impact on the region was “devastating”.

“It was heartbreaking watching the loss and impact the heavy rain had on many people in the communities that got hit with the rain in Nambour,” she said.

“What we saw could have been much worse.”

Cr Natoli also said “being mindful” of low-lying communities in future severe weather events would be crucial.

As the communities begin the long road to recovery, residents like Ms Robinson are left picking up the pieces.

“I had to get rid of most of my belongings from the impacted areas of my house, including my car,” she said.

Ms Robinson also said she was filling her third skip bin.

“I cleared it all out myself and stripped my entire kitchen down,” she said.