Residents in more regions of northern NSW towns have been told to evacuate as Cyclone Alfred makes its way to the east coast. Follow our live coverage.
Residents in more regions of northern NSW towns have been told to evacuate as Cyclone Alfred makes its way to the east coast. Follow our live coverage.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Cyclone Alfred approaches the Queensland coast, also triggering evacuation orders in northern NSW.
You’re with Kayla Olaya and Caitlin Fitzsimmons and we will anchor our live coverage for the rest of the evening.
Here is a recap of key developments:
- The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest tracking map shows Alfred is forecast to hit the mainland about 8am (Queensland time) tomorrow. This has been changing a lot and we will keep this post updated.
- The cyclone is expected to lash northern NSW and South East Queensland with heavy rain and wind, forecast to peak late today and early tomorrow.
- The cyclone is set to trigger wind gusts up to 140km/h and 800 millimetres of rain into the weekend from Brisbane to NSW’s Northern Rivers when it eventually arrives.
- Evacuation orders to leave before 7pm were issued to residents in parts of Port Macquarie, Settlement Point, Condong, South Murwillumbah and the Leycester Creek.
- An emergency alert has been issued to Gold Coast residents in the city’s coastal areas from Broadbeach to Jacobs Well and South Stradbroke Island.
- The Bureau of Meteorology has stated that Lismore in northern NSW is likely to flood by Saturday morning in its latest warning, with fears it could reach the height of the regional city’s levee.
- Schools, public transport, major roads and airports are closed, with elective surgeries also put on hold, but emergency departments remain open.
- The tropical cyclone will be the first to directly hit South East Queensland and north-east NSW in more than 50 years.
- Maps show Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s likely path as it heads for the coast. Follow its progress here.
- How extensive the damage will be when Alfred hits is still unclear. Here is everything NSW and Queensland residents need to know as the situation progresses.
Telstra and NBN services are experiencing widespread outages to their NSW and Queensland networks due to damages to landlines as weather conditions become increasingly severe.
Telstra regional general manager Michael Marom said: “Power outages due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred are affecting some mobile and landline services, mainly in parts of the Gold Coast’s south and northern NSW.
“Our network sites have backup systems that are keeping many services running for as long as possible, but customers should be prepared for disruptions if power’s out for a long time in their area, or if access is cut to a site.”
Current Telstra networks impacted across Queensland and NSW:
- 46 mobile sites disrupted
- 2769 landline phone services disrupted
- 1083 ADSL services disrupted
Telstra has said they are working to fix the outages, and will offer assistance packages to those affected.
The NBN network has also suffered 30,000 impacted services across south-east Queensland and northern NSW.
For a full list of affected NBN areas, residents can check here.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Cyclone Alfred approaches the Queensland coast, also triggering evacuation orders in northern NSW.
You’re with Kayla Olaya and Caitlin Fitzsimmons and we will anchor our live coverage for the rest of the evening.
Here is a recap of key developments:
- The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest tracking map shows Alfred is forecast to hit the mainland about 8am (Queensland time) tomorrow. This has been changing a lot and we will keep this post updated.
- The cyclone is expected to lash northern NSW and South East Queensland with heavy rain and wind, forecast to peak late today and early tomorrow.
- The cyclone is set to trigger wind gusts up to 140km/h and 800 millimetres of rain into the weekend from Brisbane to NSW’s Northern Rivers when it eventually arrives.
- Evacuation orders to leave before 7pm were issued to residents in parts of Port Macquarie, Settlement Point, Condong, South Murwillumbah and the Leycester Creek.
- An emergency alert has been issued to Gold Coast residents in the city’s coastal areas from Broadbeach to Jacobs Well and South Stradbroke Island.
- The Bureau of Meteorology has stated that Lismore in northern NSW is likely to flood by Saturday morning in its latest warning, with fears it could reach the height of the regional city’s levee.
- Schools, public transport, major roads and airports are closed, with elective surgeries also put on hold, but emergency departments remain open.
- The tropical cyclone will be the first to directly hit South East Queensland and north-east NSW in more than 50 years.
- Maps show Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s likely path as it heads for the coast. Follow its progress here.
- How extensive the damage will be when Alfred hits is still unclear. Here is everything NSW and Queensland residents need to know as the situation progresses.
The latest track map from the Bureau of Meteorology of the tropical cyclone shows it is set to hit Brisbane at 8am tomorrow, accelerating in speed since earlier reports that it would arrive later in the morning. Alfred is moving at 7 kilometres per hour.
It currently sits at 105 kilometres south-east of Brisbane, and 75 kilometres north-east of Gold Coast, and will fall upon Brisbane a category 1.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior colleagues have decided on March 25 to release the budget and head to the election in the first weeks of May, after Cyclone Alfred ruled out the option of an earlier election.
With Alfred bearing down on Queensland and northern NSW in recent days, Albanese has restated the plan to issue the federal budget on March 25, saying on Thursday morning: “We have a budget that we’re prepared for”.
The prime minister has until the close of business on Monday to call an election for April 12 and ensure a campaign of at least 33 days, as required under the Constitution, but that is now off the table. Albanese will instead call the election for May 3, 10 or 17. Other dates have been ruled out because April 19 is on the Easter weekend and April 26 is the day after Anzac Day.
Read more here.
Australian Defence Force personnel have been stationed along South East Queensland and northern NSW in preparation for Cyclone Alfred.
There are 120 people stationed to provide emergency assistance to those affected, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously confirmed.
Hundreds more soldiers from 7th Brigade, based at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, are ready to assist if needed, along with reservist personnel.
The NSW SES has issued a new suite of evacuation orders for residents to leave before 7pm in parts of Port Macquarie, Settlement Point, Condong, South Murwillumbah and the Leycester Creek.
“You should evacuate to stay with family, friends or alternate accommodation in areas unaffected by flooding. If you are unable to find accommodation, Evacuation centres have been set,” the SES said in a statement.
Residents in the area can check if they’re in an evacuation area, and check their closest evacuation centre, here.
Russell and Kaye Willis’ Brisbane home has been wiped out twice before by floods. They’re not sure if they can rebuild again.
About three tonnes of sandbags guard the perimeter of their property on Austral Avenue in Graceville. Everything on the ground floor has been put into boxes and carried upstairs.
“I said after 2022, ‘I can’t go through another one’, and now it looks like it’s going to happen again,” Kaye said after her 82-year-old husband teared up.
The 2011 floods almost completely destroyed their home, with water rising four metres and filling their second-storey living room.
“I carried her out on my back, and we had to come back in a kayak,” Russell said.
The couple is not planning to leave during Cyclone Alfred. After 2011, it took them more than 10 years to rebuild their home, and they’re unsure if they can do it again.
“I bought the land in an auction in 1988, and they said it’s a bit of a low-lying area, but they never mentioned anything about floods,” Russell said.
An emergency alert has now been issued to Gold Coast residents in the city’s coastal areas from Broadbeach to Jacobs Well and South Stradbroke Island.
Cyclone Alfred’s impacts are expected to hit this afternoon and overnight, and residents are advised to take shelter now, with heavy rain and flooding to continue after winds ease.
The alert follows the same for Redland City, with the bay island communities expected to be affected overnight. The community is advised to take shelter now in the stronger part of the building they are in.
Moreton police are also urging their community to stay indoors and in their chosen safe location, as officers and recruits have conducted door knocks today in at-risk flood areas and ensuring residents are informed of their options.
Additional officers have been pre-deployed across the Moreton district, specifically to Beachmere and Bribie Island, to assist in preparations and potential emergency response.
“Our priority is protecting human life and ensuring community safety, so please follow all safety warnings and receive up-to-date information from reputable sources, including familiarising yourself with the City of Moreton Disaster Dashboard,” Moreton District Disaster Coordinator, Acting Chief Superintendent Adam Guild, said.
“We are urging residents to stay indoors and stay off the roads until the cyclone passes and it is safe to leave home.
“We are expecting local flooding, and what we do not want to see is people risking their life and the lives of others by driving through floodwaters. No matter how familiar a road may seem, if it’s flooded, forget it.”
Brisbane residents are also being instructed to finalise their plans, with flash flooding and prolonged riverine flooding anticipated.
The ABC has advised it will move to rolling TV news coverage tonight to broadcast the latest updates on Cyclone Alfred.
“From 9pm tonight local time through to the 7pm news on Saturday, ABC TV in Queensland and New South Wales will simulcast the ABC News channel,” the ABC said.
“As the national emergency broadcaster, the ABC has made this decision to ensure our audience in these states can access up-to-date emergency information.”
Westfield shopping centres across Brisbane have lifted the boom gates and opened their car parks to allow residents to park their cars undercover.
Community Facebook pages were flooded with queries about the availability of the multi-level car parks, with many residents and the premier calling on Westfield to be a good corporate citizen.
Meanwhile, exposed shopping centre parking lots have been stripped of cars and — in some cases — shade sails.
Kawana Shoppingworld began removing shade sails around Tuesday this week, with a spokeswoman from the centre’s operating company, Mirvac, saying the group had sought “external, expert advice” ahead of the cyclone.
“With this unprecedented weather event, the safety of our customers, retailers and employees is our highest priority,” said the spokeswoman.
“We have been working around the clock to complete these works.”
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