BoM path track map predicts TC Alfred will cross coast on Friday near Brisbane, the first storm of its size to do so in decades. Follow the latest updates todayWhy did Tropical Cyclone Alfred slow down on its path towards the east coast?What is melioidosis and why do cases spike after flooding and heavy rainfall?Brisbane flood map: suburbs at risk during Cyclone AlfredSpeaking of preparations, adjunct senior lecturer at the Centre for Disaster Studies at James Cook University Yetta Gurtner gives advice here:Chalmers confident insurance companies ‘know their responsibilities’I’m confident they know their responsibilities and obligations to people. Continue reading…BoM path track map predicts TC Alfred will cross coast on Friday near Brisbane, the first storm of its size to do so in decades. Follow the latest updates todayWhy did Tropical Cyclone Alfred slow down on its path towards the east coast?What is melioidosis and why do cases spike after flooding and heavy rainfall?Brisbane flood map: suburbs at risk during Cyclone AlfredSpeaking of preparations, adjunct senior lecturer at the Centre for Disaster Studies at James Cook University Yetta Gurtner gives advice here:Chalmers confident insurance companies ‘know their responsibilities’I’m confident they know their responsibilities and obligations to people. Continue reading…
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to ABC News Breakfast from his electorate of Logan in Queensland where he says it is the “calm before the storm”:
We’re preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. There is a lot of stress and anxiety. People are obviously very concerned and very worried about what the next couple of days might bring …
There’s a lot of people in harm’s way here. We’re talking about something like four and a half million Australians, potentially in harm way, 1.8m homes, and we expect that there’ll be billions of dollars of damage done by Cyclone Alfred and so the best thing we can do is prepare and stay informed, make sure that people are accessing all of the relevant information and getting it from trusted sources …
It’s rare for a cyclone to be this far south and to threaten such a huge population area, but we do learn from previous natural disasters.
All three levels of government were working together, Chalmers said, and the government would be there for affected communities in the aftermath.
Crisafulli says supermarkets are opening on a case by case basis:
We continue to give the information to supermarkets about the weather system and they are making their decision to open on a case by case basis based on a raft of things including access to their staff. We thank those workers who are going in today to pack shelves, man checkouts, ensure that Queenslanders can get that last-minute goods are, and we want to thank them very, very much for that.
Queensland hospitals to remain open for emergency procedures
When it comes to matters of health, Crisafulli says:
Elective surgery will not be in place today or tomorrow but the hospitals remain open for emergency procedures. We have actually rostered to make sure that can occur and I do want to thank the health staff, many of whom will be, in fact, spending their time at those hospitals and overnighting in their cases to be able to then serve the community the day after.
We have also got extra ambulance officers who are now in shift ready to go to help you. The best thing you can do for them is stay home if you’re out of those flooding zones, stay safe, and I assure you they’ll be there to serve you if need it.
Crisafulli gives an update on transport and roads:
We are endeavouring on the roads and bridges that we control to keep them open for as long as possible. That is absolutely essential for those key workers. As the system continues to move in, my message to Queenslanders is if you don’t have to be on the road, the best place is at home but it’s important that we keep roads and bridges open for as long as we can so that those heroes who serve you are able to get to you and we’ll continue to discuss that.
Public transport is closed today and tomorrow, and, again, we’ll keep people posted on.
Regarding aviation – the airlines are talking directly to their passengers. We thank them for that and those closures and reopenings is done between the airports, the airlines with the information they get from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Crisafulli says:
There are 1,030 schools closed today and there will be that same amount closed tomorrow.
Queensland power outages expected to increase
Crisafulli says power outages have begun in Queensland and are expected to rise:
We are starting to see the first of the power outages following some gale-force winds that is predominantly where trees have started to knock over power lines.
We’ll see more of that and I want Queenslanders to know we will get them reconnected as quickly as possible. Right now, crews from Energex are actually reconnecting as quickly as they can while it is still safe to do sot, but we have prepositioned a really large number of staff who are ready to assist and we even have those contractors who will be there to clear the trees so those electricity staff can go and reconnect power.
We have done the preparation and we want Queenslanders to know that there’ll be no daylight between the response and the recovery and that’s our commitment to you, and we’re asking Queenslanders to do the little things now in your preparations which will make a world of difference for that recovery. We would expect to see numbers of power outages continue to rise as the system gets closer, and as the winds and the rain and, indeed, the storm surge gets closer as well.
Crisafulli goes on:
Overnight we saw the system spin around on itself and then it has resumed its journey into the coast so exactly where it will hit and when still remains unknown, but all of the modelling continues to show it is coming towards the coast albeit it has pushed into the early hours of Saturday morning, just in the last few minutes.
Queensland premier David Crisafulli is speaking, saying the cyclone’s crossing has pushed into the early hours of Saturday morning, as of the last few minutes:
It remains as a category two and obviously we have seen the delay in the system heading towards the coast. It literally in the last few minutes, we have been updated that that could now push into Saturday morning.
City of Moreton Bay reopens sandbag stations, plans evacuations for Bribie Island
The City of Moreton Bay will reopen sandbag depots from 11am, as it implements a plan to evacuate vulnerable residents.
The council will reopen and refill sandbag stations at Margate, Caboolture and Bribie Island from 11am. Other stations will also be progressively replenished today.
Residents are urged to bring their own bags, due to a shortage – as well as a shovel and zip ties.
More than 300,000 sandbags and 3,000 tonnes of sand have been distributed so far, more than triple any previous event.
Meanwhile, the city has also begun evacuating at-risk sections of Bribie Island today.
The current forecast has the TC Alfred wind speed loop situated over Bribie Island.
The Moreton Bay Disaster Management Centre is conducting an urgent call-out campaign to 170 vulnerable residences at Bellara, Bongaree and Banksia Beach. 104 residents were successfully contacted last night, with the balance contacted this morning.
Residents are being encouraged to take shelter with family or friends or housed at the evacuation centre where that isn’t possible.
Residents on the mainland in low-lying areas are also being encouraged to consider evacuation before it is too late.
List of evacuation centres in northern NSW
Evacuation centres have been established at the following locations in northern NSW:
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Tyalgum Hall, Coolman Street, Tyalgum NSW 2484
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Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar, 86 Mahers Lane, Terranora NSW 2486
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Mullumbimby RSL, 58 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby NSW 2482
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Kingscliff Tafe, 806 Cudgen Road, Kingscliff NSW 2487
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Murwillumbah Tafe, 146 Murwillumbah Street, Murwillumbah NSW 2484
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Kyogle Memorial Hall Stratheden Street, Kyogle NSW 2474
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Casino Showground, Casino NSW 2470
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Southern Cross University, Military Road, East Lismore New South Wales 2480
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Evans Head RSL, 11-13 McDonald Place, Evans Head New South Wales 2473
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Burringar Sports Club, Fourth Avenue, Burringbar NSW 2483
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Uki Hall, 1462 Kyogle Road, Uki NSW 2484
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Coraki Public School, 50 Adams Street, Coraki NSW 2471
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Ocean Shores Country Club, 113A Orana Road, Ocean Shores NSW 2483
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Ballina Southern Cross Public School, Chickiba Drive, East Ballina NSW 2478
Severe weather warning for north-eastern NSW
The NSW government has opened the State Emergency Operations Centre as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches landfall in north-eastern NSW.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for north-eastern NSW – including the northern rivers, mid north coast and northern tablelands areas – and south-east Queensland expecting gale-force winds and damaging gusts.
These destructive winds are expected to cause storm surge, which combined with high tides could cause flooding in the northern rivers and mid north coast areas from today.
State Emergency Operations Controller, deputy commissioner Peter Thurtell, said:
We are expecting some of the most severe weather conditions this state has seen in recent years hitting our northern coast in the coming days.
Opening the State Emergency Operations Centre is not a light decision; it should be a clear sign to the NSW public – especially those living in northern rivers and mid north coast areas – that we are expecting extreme conditions.
The combination of high tides, excessive rain and extreme winds will cause flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads. I am urging all NSW road users to avoid driving during these weather conditions.
Anyone who does choose to drive will be putting their own life, your passengers’ lives and the lives of emergency service personnel at risk.
Bardon homes on stilts to face cyclone
Two houses on stilts in Brisbane’s western suburbs are set to brave Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The two homes – at Simpsons Road in Bardon – are under construction in an area which regularly floods.
That’s unlikely to be a major concern this time, but Alfred is a category-two tropical cyclone and is expected to bring sustained winds of 95km/h, gusting up to 130km/h.
Blue skies in Brisbane
Most of south-east Queensland went to bed on Wednesday expecting today would be the day Tropical Cyclone Alfred arrives.
Schools are shut, buses have stopped and residents warned to stay at home in expectation that dangerous winds and heavy rain would set in on Thursday.
But this morning Brisbane’s skies are blue. The wind has died down. The bloody kookaburras that wake my kids up were at it before 5am.
It is – of course – a temporary moment of calm before Alfred arrives.
But for many it will underscore how unbelievably peculiar this past week has felt.
Since Sunday we’ve known that Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast are potentially in the path of a category-two storm. Most residents have prepared their homes.
The calm before the storm feels surreal.
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