MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — On Wednesday, residents were stacking sandbags to protect low-lying areas ahead of a tropical cyclone expected to become the first in 51 years to strike the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the country’s third-largest city.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall between Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, and the tourist city of Gold Coast to the south late Thursday or early Friday, Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy said. Brisbane and Gold Coast are a continuous urban sprawl.Their centers are 80 kilometres (50 miles) apart.
Alfred was over the Pacific Ocean 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Brisbane and tracking west Wednesday with sustained winds near the center of 95 kph (59 mph) with gusts to 130 kph (81 mph).
“That is destructive winds,” Collopy said. It was expected to maintain that strength until reaching land.
“Large swells and powerful waves have been observed along the Queensland coast for several days now with severe coastal erosion and inundation happening,” Collopy told reporters in Brisbane. “This will continue and likely get worse as the system approaches and makes landfall.”
Heavy rain and life-threatening flooding were expected in the days ahead, he said.
“The wave, wind, rainfall and particularly the storm surge present significant risks,” Collopy added.
Tropical Cyclone Zoe struck Gold Coast in 1974
Cyclones frequently occur in Queensland’s tropical northern region but are unusual in the state’s temperate and heavily populated southeastern area adjacent to New South Wales.
In March 1974, Cyclone Zoe made landfall at the southern tip of Gold Coast near the New South Wales border, leading to significant flooding.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would supply the Queensland government with 250,000 sandbags in addition to 80,000 the military had already delivered.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said modeling indicated that up to 20,000 residences in his city, which has over 3 million residents, might face varying degrees of flooding.
A cyclone refuge centre would be established at Brisbane’s showgrounds for people who had nowhere else to stay during the storm. Schrinner stated that evacuation centres for longer-term stays would also be opened.
Schools and hospital operating theaters to close
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli stated that vessels anchored in the area would require authorisation from the Brisbane harbour master to move starting Wednesday afternoon because of the cyclone threat.
Starting Thursday, schools will shut down, hospitals will suspend non-urgent surgeries, and public transport will cease operations in the impacted region, he stated.
Crisafulli urged the public to prepare their homes and plan evacuation routes. He reported that 68 people were evacuated from South Stradbroke Island, located off the coast between Brisbane and Gold Coast, on Tuesday night, with evacuations persisting into Wednesday.
