In anticipation of an impending tropical cyclone, residents along Australia’s east coast were busy fortifying low-lying areas with sandbags on Wednesday. This cyclone is poised to be the first in over five decades to approach the region near Brisbane, Australia’s third most populated metropolis.
Forecasters predict that Tropical Cyclone Alfred will reach the shoreline between Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, and the famed tourist destination, Gold Coast, located to its south. This event is expected to occur late Thursday or early Friday, as reported by the Bureau of Meteorology’s Matt Collopy. The two cities form an unbroken urban stretch with their central points separated by just 80 kilometers (or 50 miles).
On Wednesday, Cyclone Alfred was positioned over the Pacific, approximately 400 kilometers (roughly 250 miles) eastward from Brisbane. It is advancing westward with consistent wind speeds around its core clocking in at approximately 95 kph (59 mph) and gusts reaching up to 130 kph (81 mph).
Collopy warned that, “These are destructive winds,” which are expected to persist in intensity until the cyclone makes landfall. Queensland’s coastline has already been experiencing large swells and powerful waves for several days, he noted, leading to serious coastal erosion and flooding—a situation set to intensify as the cyclone draws nearer.
Heavy rainfall and potentially life-threatening floods are forecasted in the coming days. Collopy emphasized that, “the combination of waves, winds, rainfall, and notably, the storm surge pose significant hazards.”
Cyclones in Queensland’s tropical north are common, but they’re a rarity in the temperate and densely occupied southeastern corner, which shares a border with New South Wales. The last such event, Tropical Cyclone Zoe, crossed into the Gold Coast area on the New South Wales border back in March of 1974, resulting in severe flooding.
In response to the anticipated cyclone, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the federal government will supply 250,000 sandbags to Queensland, supplementing the 80,000 already delivered by the military. Albanese stated, “This is an unusual occurrence, having a tropical cyclone hitting an area not typically associated with tropics, like southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.” Therefore, he emphasized that preparation is crucial.
Brisbane’s Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, has forecasted that up to 20,000 homes in the city, with a population exceeding 3 million, could be at risk of flooding. To aid those needing shelter, a cyclone refuge center will be set up at Brisbane’s show grounds, and additional evacuation centers for extended stays will be available.
Queensland’s Premier, David Crisafulli, announced that boats stationed in the cyclone warning area are restricted from moving without permission from the Brisbane harbor master starting Wednesday afternoon. From Thursday, precautionary closures will include schools, non-emergency surgeries in hospitals, and public transit services in the cyclone-threatened regions.
Crisafulli urged residents to secure their homes and plan evacuation strategies. Already, 68 individuals have been evacuated from South Stradbroke Island, situated between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with more evacuations underway. “This is indeed an exceptional event for southeast Queensland,” he recognized, urging residents to take the situation seriously while assuring them of the authorities’ preparedness and vigilance.
