"We thought a bomb had gone off," he told AAP.
"It was pretty scary with all these giant trees just snapping and the tops flying off. The tops of the gum trees landed in neighbouring yards so they'd broken off and actually flown through the air."
Mr Sewell said his front door was flapping in the powerful winds and a bathroom window was shattered but he and his family had been lucky.
More than 30,000 homes across southeast Queensland continued to be without power on Friday afternoon as the region experienced a heatwave.
Mr Sewell said the lines in his area were still down.
"I think there's going to be quite a long delay on just our section because it's a rebuild of powerlines more so than fixing," he said.
"The actual poles snapped in half."
It may take some time for power to be fully restored after storms ripped through Helensvale. (HANDOUT/TIM SEWELL)
Mr Sewell said he was also concerned for the wildlife whose habitat had been destroyed.
"It's depressing looking at the destruction, the whole landscape has changed because all the trees are gone," he said.
"I think the poor animals are going to battle a bit."
Varina Taylor was staying in a caravan park on the Gold Coast with daughter Charmaine, granddaughter Isabelle and great-granddaughter Luna-May, as her family does each Christmas.
"The caravan was just rocking from the force of the wind," she said.
"We knew we had trees around us, we didn't know how bad it was out there and we just had to sit it out."
When it was safe to do so Ms Taylor and her family went to the park's toilet block and took shelter.
She said her daughter's van was seriously damaged.
"She lost the awning," Ms Taylor said.
"One branch came through the aircon, another branch just came randomly halfway down the caravan."
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting more severe storms in southeast Queensland from Saturday, warning residents of destructive winds, giant hail and intense rainfall.
Ms Taylor said she's worried about how the ongoing disaster might impact the youngest members of her family.
"I think the adults, we'll be okay," she said.
"I'm more worried about Isabelle and Luna-May, especially Luna-May, because she's only four it's very hard to explain to her."
22°C