'Scary' tropical Cyclone Alfred nears Queensland

Along the Gold Coast, both the wind and the swell have been picking up. As Cyclone Alfred moves closer, authorities have advised locals to stay home, although ardent surfers have been exercising caution due to the growing wind.

Jeff Weatherall remarked, "This is what we look forward to," while he awaited being picked up from Kirra beach and carried into the large waves by a jet ski. "This is the fifth day straight - I've done nothing but eat, sleep, surf and do it again."
Surfers have been busy this week as they await Cyclone Alfred at Kirra Beach, which is well-known for its breakers.

Late Friday or, more likely, early Saturday morning is when the cyclone is predicted to make ashore as a category two system.
Landfall has been postponed from earlier forecasts because of its recent slowdown and "erratically" changing trajectory, according to meteorologists.
"A category two system means winds near the centre up to 95km/h (59mph), with gusts up to 130km/h," Matthew Collopy of the Bureau of Meteorology explains.

Cyclone Alfred is threatening four million people. It is predicted to strike Brisbane, the country's third-biggest city, as well as the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, two regions of Australia renowned for their stunning beaches and world-class surf.

"Crazy" is how local and avid surfer Donnie Neal described the last several days in Kirra.
"It's pretty serious, there are people that are going to lose their houses, but at the moment, you're taking the good of it all - this is just crazy surf."
In addition to powerful winds, Cyclone Alfred is predicted to dump up to 800 mm of rain over a substantial portion of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales in the days ahead. In low-lying locations, flash and riverine floods are the main concerns.

In line with Gold Coast interim Mayor Donna Gates, who has described Cyclone Alfred as a "scary proposition" for the area, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Thursday that "these are tough times, but Australians are tough people, and we are resilient people."
Airports have been shuttered, public transport has been suspended, and around 1,000 schools have closed. At the latest, flights are not anticipated to restart until Sunday. Additionally, elective operations have been cancelled.
Although cyclones are common in Queensland, Australia's most disaster-prone state, they rarely make it thus far south.

 

The last time it occurred was in 1974, when Zoe crossed the coast two months after Cyclone Wanda struck in January.
However, flooding occurs more frequently. Heavy rains in February 2022 destroyed thousands of homes over parts of Australia's east coast. In anticipation of Cyclone Alfred, authorities have been eager to get communities ready. To assist locals in protecting their homes, the council set up sandbag depots throughout the area.

"It's unbelievable. It's really peaceful, but we know it's coming," said Anthony Singh, who lives in the West End neighbourhood of Brisbane. On Wednesday, he waited for four hours before gathering sandbags to guard his house.
More than 140 tonnes of sand were shovelled by fellow neighbour Mark Clayton, who assisted in organising the sandbag collection.
"I think people are a bit apprehensive," he states. Will the roofs remain in place and will the buildings remain standing? People anticipate that many trees will fall and that there will be a prolonged power outage.

As Australians wait for the storm to come, there is a lot of uncertainty as supermarkets have now closed and most people are staying indoors.