Damaging winds and torrential rains from Alfred proceed to wreak havoc throughout Australia’s Queensland area.
Gusts and torrential rain have brought on widespread energy outages and triggered flash floods in elements of Australia’s east coast, with one individual killed and a dozen troopers wounded.
After days hovering off the coast as a Class 2 tropical cyclone and battering a 400km (250-mile) stretch of shoreline, Alfred considerably weakened on Sunday, however nonetheless left important disturbance alongside its path.
Some 316,540 individuals had been with out energy as of Sunday in Queensland’s southeast, the place the Gold Coast metropolis was the worst-hit space, vitality distributor Energex stated in a press release.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Sunday that the “state of affairs in Queensland and northern New South Wales stays very severe because of flash flooding and heavy winds”.
“Heavy rainfall, damaging wind gusts, and coastal surf impacts are anticipated to proceed over coming days,” Albanese stated in Canberra.
Suburbs throughout Brisbane have already been inundated by floodwaters right this moment, attributable to heavy rainfall in a single day, speedy river degree rises and elevated sea ranges related to Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. #9News
STREAM HERE: https://t.co/mzkmCL0m8e pic.twitter.com/jcElfr8C3n
— 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) March 9, 2025
In Queensland’s Hervey Bay, greater than 230mm (9 inches) of rain was recorded in simply six hours on Sunday morning, in line with State Premier David Crisafulli.
“We’ve seen that culminate in stories of flash flooding in properties and in companies,” Crisafulli was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
Information.com.au reported that emergency companies in Hervey Bay have carried out a number of rescues “in one in every of its worst climate emergencies on document” within the space.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology stated heavy rainfall that might trigger flash flooding was growing on Sunday and will have an effect on Brisbane in addition to the Queensland regional centres of Ipswich, Sunshine Coast and Gympie.
Damaging winds with gusts of about 90km/h (60mph) had been additionally doable within the state, the bureau stated on its web site.
Brisbane airport reopened on Sunday however posted on X that “ongoing climate might have an effect on the schedule”.
Queensland will determine afterward Sunday whether or not about 1,000 state colleges, closed as a result of unhealthy climate, will reopen on Monday.
The neighbouring state of New South Wales (NSW) has confirmed all public colleges that had been closed on Friday because of Alfred will stay closed once more on Monday.
On Saturday, one man died in a flood in northern NSW.
In the meantime, 13 Australian Defence Power troopers en route to assist residents in NSW’s metropolis of Lismore had been injured in a highway collision, officers stated. In line with The Sydney Morning Herald, two of the troopers stay in severe situation.
Alfred is the primary cyclone to cross the east Australian coast close to the Queensland state capital of Brisbane since 1974.
