00:00 Brisbane City Council has issued a "prepare to evacuate" call to action for areas within the possible storm surge zone ahead of Cyclone Alfred's crossing. Jessica Vanvonderen presents the 7PM news from Brisbane.
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Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-05/cyclone-alfred-queensland-nsw-evacuation-plan/105014178
00:35 South-east Queensland prepares for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, as memories of flooding in 2022 cause residents to be extra cautious.
3:40 Gold Coast gets a taste of what's to come, with massive waves hitting the coastline.
6:18 The Sunshine Coast looks likely to miss the worst of the cyclone's effects, but residents are being warned of potential flooding.
9:08 ABC Meteorologist Jenny Woodward looks at the potential landing points of Cyclone Alfred and what residents can expect over the next few days.
11:00 Qld Premier David Crisafulli says he wants residents to take the cyclone seriously and the safest place for the majority is in their own home.
13:31 Parts of NSW are still rebuilding after the floods of 2022, and are looking to put their experience into action this time.
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Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE
Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-05/cyclone-alfred-queensland-nsw-evacuation-plan/105014178
00:35 South-east Queensland prepares for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, as memories of flooding in 2022 cause residents to be extra cautious.
3:40 Gold Coast gets a taste of what's to come, with massive waves hitting the coastline.
6:18 The Sunshine Coast looks likely to miss the worst of the cyclone's effects, but residents are being warned of potential flooding.
9:08 ABC Meteorologist Jenny Woodward looks at the potential landing points of Cyclone Alfred and what residents can expect over the next few days.
11:00 Qld Premier David Crisafulli says he wants residents to take the cyclone seriously and the safest place for the majority is in their own home.
13:31 Parts of NSW are still rebuilding after the floods of 2022, and are looking to put their experience into action this time.
ABC News provides around the clock coverage of news events as they break in Australia and abroad. It's news when you want it, from Australia's most trusted news organisation.
For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY
Watch more ABC News content ad-free on ABC iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1
Go deeper on our ABC News In-depth channel: https://ab.co/2lNeBn2
Like ABC News on Facebook: http://facebook.com/abcnews.au
Follow ABC News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/abcnews_au
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Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated.
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NewsTranscript
00:00It's the biggest threat to southeast Queensland in 50 years.
00:04Four million people are in the firing line of Cyclone Alfred as it barrels towards Brisbane.
00:10The system is currently 325 kilometres east of the city and is set to make landfall Friday morning,
00:17bringing with it destructive winds and life-threatening flooding.
00:21Tens of thousands of homes are at risk.
00:24The region is now in virtual shutdown as people brace for what's to come.
00:29We have reporters stationed across the southeast. Will Murray begins our coverage.
00:35Cyclone Alfred is edging closer, but it's what comes after his initial impact
00:41that's leaving businesses in low-lying areas feeling uneasy.
00:45Today it's really about preparation. We don't necessarily want to see a repeat
00:48of what happened in 2022. It went under, like water did flow through the cafe.
00:53This croquet club not taking any chances,
00:56quite literally removing everything but the kitchen sink.
01:00We've got a lot of stuff here which we can't move, like the new kitchen cabin,
01:05cabinetry, but we've taken all the doors off and the drawers out.
01:09Some charities are preparing for the worst.
01:12If something does happen, we have to be on the front lines to help people,
01:16so we need not to be worrying about our centre.
01:18We could be in for some devastation with our homeless on the streets.
01:21Residents in flood-prone suburbs also doing what they can while they still can.
01:27The last flood was about 1.3 metres, but we're hoping that
01:31the flood levels don't reach what it did in 2022.
01:34The Category 2 system is set to make landfall early Friday morning,
01:39bringing with it destructive winds.
01:42The bigger risk, torrential rain that is set to linger for days.
01:46So this could mean the event causes totals over 800 millimetres.
01:52This sort of rainfall is expected to produce life-threatening
01:57flash and riverine flooding.
01:59Authorities are extremely concerned that flooding could be exacerbated by storm surges,
02:05where water is pushed inland by abnormally high tides.
02:09Alfred could bring a high tide more than a metre above its usual level,
02:14which could be disastrous for many in low-lying areas.
02:18Many island residents off Moreton Bay have heeded warnings to consider evacuating.
02:24The fact that no one could get over to the island once the cyclone hits,
02:28so you're there by yourself, it's a scary time.
02:32The most important is human life and that's what I chose this morning.
02:38But some have chosen to stay.
02:40We were a bit anxious.
02:41This will be the first time I've been through a cyclone in my lifetime and I'm 53 years old.
02:47So there are unknowns there, of course, but I've been through floods and things before.
02:51For those in Brisbane with nowhere safe to shelter.
02:54We are initiating a cyclone refuge centre at the RNA showgrounds.
03:00This will be available for people who have no other options.
03:04It's not designed for the long term.
03:06It's designed to protect people's physical safety.
03:09The governments across the board are taking this seriously
03:13and Queenslanders as well as those on the north coast of New South Wales need to do so as well.
03:19Public transport in the city will cease tonight and will be shut down till at least Friday.
03:25Schools will also close from tomorrow.
03:28I'm pretty happy not to be coming out in this weather to be doing school pick up or drop off.
03:32Keeping safe and staying dry, the main priority.
03:36Will Murray, ABC News, Brisbane.
03:40On the Gold Coast, residents are being warned 6,000 properties could be impacted by flooding
03:46when the system makes landfall.
03:48Already today, a taste of what's to come with record breaking swells smashing into the shoreline.
03:55Now the city's already experienced a tornado and flooding in the last two years
04:01and so no one's taking any chances.
04:04As the weather begins to turn, the gravity of what the Gold Coast is about to face is setting in.
04:09A little bit anxious. Yeah, I didn't get a great sleep last night. Probably worse tonight.
04:12I'm more worried about the winds and the trees.
04:15In a worst case scenario, up to 6,000 homes across the region could be impacted.
04:21This looks like the most significant event in our city in terms of destructive winds and heavy rain
04:28that we've seen since 1954.
04:31Tropical cyclone Alfred is whipping up a spectacle
04:35but curious onlookers are urged to stay away for their own safety.
04:41The swell is enormous.
04:43We can't be more clear than when we close the beaches.
04:46The best thing to do is stay away from the beach.
04:49Norm Wage's rental home at Eleanora backs onto Corumban Creek.
04:53He and his wife have ready-to-go bags packed.
04:56We're prepared for the worst, yeah.
04:58Sand remains a precious commodity
05:02as more and more people race to shore up their homes.
05:06I'm just trying to gain some time so the water can be absorbed by the ground mostly.
05:11John Hart's waterfront property was badly damaged when a tornado hit the Gold Coast in 2023.
05:17I don't think there was a house in the street that wasn't damaged by that.
05:20The roof got taken off this. This has all been repaired.
05:23This time he's doing everything in his power to protect his home.
05:26I think a lot of people are a little bit apprehensive this time.
05:29This Burley church is offering sanctuary to dozens of homeless people.
05:33It's really quite dangerous and even made more difficult
05:36by not having a shelter and somewhere warm and safe to sleep.
05:40This is one of the biggest concerns that Alfred's powerful surge could
05:43overwhelm low-lying homes.
05:45The worst case scenario for coastal communities would be if the storm made landfall on high tide.
05:51The airport closed this afternoon.
05:53Rescue animals are being secured.
05:55For residents, it's time to hunker down.
05:57We now need to start getting people to be safe in their homes, getting them off the road.
06:03An agonising wait to see what mother nature has in store.
06:07Fingers crossed that we all come out the other side okay and unscathed and
06:11you know we just have to ride it out as best we can.
06:14Mackenzie Collihan, ABC News, Gold Coast.
06:18The Sunshine Coast looks likely to avoid a direct hit from cyclone Alfred
06:23but that doesn't mean residents can relax.
06:26The modelling still shows more than one and a half thousand properties could experience
06:31some level of flooding and 95 kilometre an hour winds will still pack a punch.
06:38Police on the beat in Mooroochydore,
06:41going door to door to check on those in potential flood zones.
06:45People going past must have thought Beryl's in trouble.
06:49Beryl Mwini went through a cyclone here 50 years ago and feels more prepared this time around.
06:56Putting down my ornaments, laying them down, taking things inside.
07:02Residents are digging in to help each other.
07:06CJ Roger used to be homeless. He doesn't want to see anyone else struggling.
07:10I've got to look after your friends. I'll take a few people in if I can
07:15but yeah like my home's not much but I'll take what I can.
07:18Black Mountain residents cut off in the 2022 floods fear a repeat.
07:23We're resilient. Look it's resilient but the thing with the community, we've bonded together.
07:29It's been all hands on deck on Bribie Island too.
07:32I'm on call, so I'm standby so it's a bit wet to work at the moment so
07:36I've got to come down and give the general public a hand.
07:39We flood in normal water so we've just got to stay in and dry.
07:43Boaties are being urged to secure their vessels.
07:46We have two main concerns. One is the wind obviously,
07:50blowing boats around and blowing boats off of pontoons. The other is the tidal surge.
07:56Evacuation centres have opened at Noosa and at the Nambour showgrounds where
08:00residents can stay along with their pets.
08:03Australia Zoo staff will keep working around the clock to protect the animals.
08:07So our entire zoo is getting the once over. All of our keepers are onto it.
08:11They're making sure that all the homes and the habitats of our animals are safe.
08:15These endangered loggerhead turtle hatchlings made it out to sea just in time
08:20but 50 nests remain along the coast on ever shrinking amounts of sand.
08:25We know there has been significant erosion at Bribie Island
08:30and this is causing concern for a lot of our residential areas.
08:34Authorities are urging residents not to be complacent.
08:38Even though it now appears the Sunshine Coast is likely to avoid a direct hit,
08:43conditions are still deteriorating and the latest modelling shows about 1,600 homes could be impacted.
08:49It could still hit us directly and whatever happens we will feel its impacts.
08:56Of course you have to be ready.
08:58So now it's just a matter of hanging in there whichever way the wind blows.
09:04Jessica Ross, ABC News, Sunshine Coast.
09:08Jenny Woodward joins me now and Jenny's cyclone Alfred,
09:12it's threatening to be one of the most significant weather events in our recent history.
09:16That's right Jess, the cyclone is going to have a severe effect of weather over several days.
09:22Hello everyone.
09:23Now that's going to include storm force winds, torrential rain and a dangerous storm surge.
09:29Now if we take a look at the track map you can see that Alfred is about 300 kilometres offshore
09:36and is forecast to approach the coast tomorrow before making landfall.
09:40Somewhere between Coolangatta and Maroochydore.
09:42Potentially Friday morning and maybe later as it's now slow moving and wobbling.
09:48The peak wind gusts near the eye of the Category 2 storm are destructive
09:52and range from 125 to 164 kilometres an hour.
09:57Now at this strength the wind will cause some damage to homes and crops,
10:00also toppling trees which can lead to power outages.
10:04Alfred's rainfall will peak from Thursday to Saturday
10:07when heavy falls extend well down the New South Wales coast
10:10in that onshore flow to the south of the eye.
10:13The rainfall intensity will rapidly decline north of the eye
10:16where the wind's blowing in a drier offshore direction.
10:20Now the system may generate rain totals of up to 250 millimetres.
10:24Now that's enough for life-threatening flash flooding,
10:26while 24-hour totals could reach 400 millimetres, sufficient for major river flooding.
10:32And finally the wide field of gales is churning up huge waves,
10:36averaging more than six metres near the border
10:39and with the maximum heights well over 12 metres offshore.
10:43Now when we combine that with the water levels,
10:45up to half a metre above the normal highest tide of the year,
10:49the powerful waves are going to lead to coastal inundation and significant beach erosion.
10:54So it is going to be a very wild time ahead Jess.
10:57Sure is Jenny, thank you so much.
11:00Well let's hear from the Premier now.
11:03Reporter Jack Mackay spoke with him just a short time ago.
11:07Premier thanks for your time.
11:09What's your key message tonight for South East Queenslanders?
11:13To have a plan and know that we are ready and we want you to be ready as well.
11:18And we are taking this seriously and we want Queenslanders to take it seriously as well.
11:22And if you do that, if you have a plan,
11:24if you do all of those things before the cyclone passes,
11:28have every faith that they'll get through it.
11:29When will it be too late for people to move on?
11:32When will it be too late for people to prepare for this cyclone?
11:35My advice is if you are in one of those storm surge areas,
11:39if you're in a place where you know it floods,
11:42the safest place is to be with friends and family out of that zone.
11:45Now that window will close and it is rapidly closing.
11:49But we're asking people to make sure that whatever the decision,
11:53have the plan and fulfil that plan.
11:56Now the vast majority of Queenslanders won't be in that storm surge or a flood area.
12:01And the safest place for them is to be at home.
12:04But in order to make that the safest place,
12:06you've got to do the little things now and into the early hours of tomorrow morning
12:10to make sure that your home is as secure as it can be.
12:13So just do that sweep around the yard.
12:14Make sure you've picked up everything.
12:16Have a look if there's any branches overhanging.
12:19Check the gutters for leaves.
12:20And then what you do inside the home is also important.
12:23So have those important documents in one place if you do need to leave.
12:26That's so important to reconnect those services later.
12:29Have bottled water and tinned food.
12:31But if you do those little things,
12:33I have every faith that the community will get through this.
12:35I really do.
12:36It sounds like that window could close though,
12:38about midday tomorrow, early tomorrow.
12:40Is that right?
12:41There's no doubt that window will close early.
12:43And the best time is to think about it now.
12:46And the reason why, Jack, is there is a likelihood that
12:50this system could cross on a high tide in the middle of the night.
12:54That's the last time you'll want to be thinking about
12:57leaving your home with water coming in.
12:59We have done a lot of work in pre-positioning emergency services
13:03to respond to an event.
13:04But that does put you at harm's way and puts them at harm's way as well.
13:07So do the little things, make the preparations.
13:10And the best thing to do is if you have a look on our website,
13:13which is that disaster.qld.gov.au website,
13:17we also have all of the council's dashboards there.
13:20They have put in their storm surge maps,
13:22so you can see where your property is.
13:24That's important to do.
13:25And then you can make an informed decision on that.
13:28Premier, thanks for your time.
13:29Thank you, Jack.
13:31Well, the impact of Cyclone Alfred will, of course,
13:34also be felt over the border.
13:36Parts of northern New South Wales are still rebuilding
13:40after the devastating floods of 2022.
13:43But businesses are hoping they can learn from their experiences
13:47and be better prepared this time.
13:51This time three years ago,
13:52Woodburn was almost completely underwater.
13:55There's still a lot of trauma.
13:57And if you drive around town,
13:58you'll still see that there's a lot of houses
14:00that still aren't even rebuilt.
14:02Sandra Peters runs a bakery in the town.
14:04She and her staff will be keeping locals stocked up
14:07before evacuating at 2pm tomorrow.
14:10We're doing bulk bread.
14:11So our bakers are starting five hours early tonight
14:14to do bulk bread and bulk pies.
14:16Thousands of Lismore homes and businesses
14:19were destroyed by the 2022 floods.
14:22Mayor Steve Kreeg had been in office for a matter of weeks.
14:26I threw everything that I had into trying to protect Lismore.
14:32But I was made very acutely aware that I was...
14:37I put the city first and my family second.
14:42This time he's more conscious of protecting his family.
14:46They live above his restaurant,
14:47which he opened in a new Lismore location
14:50after the old site was flooded.
14:52It was a gamble.
14:53No other way to describe it.
14:55This concrete levy protects the Lismore CBD.
14:58But in 2022, floodwaters went nearly four metres above it.
15:03The SES says it's preparing for the possibility of water
15:06to go over it again this week,
15:09but it's putting measures in place to protect residents.
15:12If our levy was to overtop this week,
15:14I just don't know how many of our businesses
15:18will be able to take that.
15:21Organisation Resilient Lismore
15:23helps to rebuild disaster-damaged homes.
15:25We will swing into action as soon as we can after the event.
15:29This is something that happens in our community.
15:31None of us like it, but we know how to do it.
15:35Preparing for the worst while still recovering from it.
15:38Emma Rennie, ABC News, Lismore.