Alfred Cyclone: Australian Government told to prepare for worst

Australia has ordered thousands to evacuate its eastern regions ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, expected to hit on Saturday.

The storm has already caused heavy rain, massive waves, strong winds, power outages, flooded beaches, and airport shutdowns.

Just 165 kilometers east of Brisbane on Friday morning, Tropical Cyclone Alfred was making slow progress toward the shore at a “walking speed.”

The storm is affecting about four million people over a 400-kilometer stretch of coastline between New South Wales and Queensland.

Emergency officials have advised about 10,000 people in New South Wales’ flood-prone Northern Rivers region to evacuate.

Lismore, which was decimated by record 14-meter floods in 2022, is of particular worry. Many locals have been preparing by tying down furniture, storing supplies, and using sandbags to secure their homes over the last three days.

Alfred coming towards Brisbane

As authorities prepare to create evacuation centers, many residents have already left their houses. Residents have scrambled to stock up on necessities, clearing supermarket shelves and depleting sandbag supplies.

The last time a cyclone approached Brisbane was in 1990, but it veered south before striking the city. Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales have not seen a cyclone since 1974.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) latest update shows that the category 2 system is moving slowly towards the southeast Queensland coast and is expected to make landfall late Saturday morning or early afternoon.

Authorities will halt public transportation, and schools in southeast Queensland will close on Thursday and Friday in preparation.

Premier Chris Minns has advised vulnerable residents to move by Thursday morning as 122 schools in northern New South Wales will close on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Over the next 48 hours, we need to bunker down and get through what could be a very difficult time,” he stated.

First evacuation order from the government

Despite the fact that the original deadline has passed, dozens of evacuation orders remain in force throughout Lismore and other vulnerable locations in Northern NSW.

In the last half hour, the SES updated those warnings to “evacuate now.”

Lismore MP Janelle Saffin urged her constituents to follow authorities’ instructions and seek safety, either with family and friends or at evacuation centers that accept pets. “I know how difficult that is, but it’s to keep you safe,” she said. “We all want you safe. Your family wants you safe, and we want you to leave. Conditions have changed, and we don’t want you trapped.”

There were buses from Lismore to the Southern Cross University evacuation center every half an hour, however, it was unclear how late they would be in service.

The Northern Rivers Hotel in North Lismore, the Lismore train station, the Lismore Transit Centre, and the Spar supermarket in East Lismore were among the places where the buses were making stops.