June Stathis was home alone the night the tornado and severe storms hit the Gold Coast.
"Lights started flickering, and I'm like 'Oh, there must be a storm'," she said.
"I'm deaf. I can't hear the wind and the storm crackling."
Ms Stathis, who is third-generation deaf, remained without power and phone reception for several days and was also left in the dark about just how serious the storms had been.
"I just felt completely isolated," she said.
"This Gold Coast weather event, there was no official government interpreter."
Auslan interpreters have been missing at several state emergency briefings this summer, and haven't been used at all for council updates.
During a disaster, an Auslan interpreter "must be present at all public facing media conferences conducted by state agencies", according to Queensland's State Disaster Management Plan.
"I had to rely on the visuals — looking outside seeing the flood happening and the storm happening," Ms Stathis said.
"They'd forgotten about the Deaf community."
Interpreters were missing when the Queensland government declared ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper had strengthened to a category four system, and when Gold Coast residents were urged to stay home during severe storms.
Queensland police said some briefings did not have interpreters because they were either at short notice, "operationally focused", or in regional Queensland.
“We were in the middle of an event, due to short notice at times for media conferences, having a Auslan interpreter available last minute can sometimes be very difficult," police said in a statement.
Queensland police said it would continue to source interpreters "when available and within appropriate time frames".
All media conferences were broadcast live on social media "featuring closed captions", police added.
Council to review emergency response, including accessibility
Deaf Gold Coast resident Amy McEwing said closed captions weren't clear, could be incorrect, and were not accredited.
In one emergency press conference held without an interpreter, a significant location was misspelled in the captions and some words were missing.
Because of this, Ms McEwing — an SES volunteer for more than a decade — began posting her own videos in Auslan.
They included tips on putting together an emergency kit and how to evacuate.
"I am concerned about the deaf people's safety. [My] top priority was their safety," she said.
There were no Auslan interpreters present at Gold Coast council's emergency briefings when the city was hit by a tornado and severe storms in recent weeks.
Ashleigh Forsythe, who is deaf, said in previous disasters like the 2022 floods, there were interpreters at all council updates.
"I felt I had the same access to the information as all the other hearing people," the 42-year-old said.
"It feels good to say I am in the 'know'."
But this time, when her home was in "the path of the tornado", she couldn't understand what was being said.
"It was a very surreal experience seeing all the trees fallen down. It was very scary," she said.
In a statement, the Gold Coast City Council said it would review its emergency response, including accessibility and using Auslan interpreters.
Unlike state agencies, local and district groups are only "encouraged" to have an Auslan interpreter.
Michelle Moss, Queenslanders with Disability Network CEO, said "life-saving" information must be accessible.
"Living in Queensland, we are no strangers to emergency situations and already this year has demonstrated that," she said.
"As we move forward, it is important that Auslan is included at all emergency public media briefings."
Live powerlines and trees downed
Powerlines and 60-metre trees were brought down on Jason Bergstorm's Gold Coast street.
The 50-year-old, who is deaf, said his neighbour's brother had to "mime" to let him know one of those powerlines was still live.
"We're very fortunate that we had neighbours and a good community that were able to help."
Ms Forsythe said even basic signs like 'are you ok?' and 'do you need help?' can help the deaf community in an emergency.
"Embracing sign language and learning basic sign really would make us feel safer and supported," she said.