Australia cyclone: Mass blackouts and flooding in storm-affected states

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Australia cyclone: Mass blackouts and flooding in storm-affected states
Getty Images Residents in the Brisbane suburb of Newmarket carry umbrellas and stand on dry ground next to a flooded part of the roadGetty Images

Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Australia after a storm brought wild wind to the west coast.

Communities in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales ( NSW) were beginning the clean-up on Sunday after the storm caused widespread flooding and knocked down power lines and trees.

A 61-year-old man’s body was recovered from floods on Saturday, while in a separate incident, 12 men were taken to doctor after their fleet crashed en route to save businesses.

The wind had weakened by the time it made landfall near Brisbane on Saturday evening, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday warned citizens of the continued wild wind and threats from inundation.

” The situation in Queensland and northeastern New South Wales remains quite significant due to flash flood and heavy breezes”, Albanese said.

” Big rainfall, damaging wind storms and coastal beach effects are expected to continue over returning time”.

Reuters The Australian prime minister delivering a briefing in front of a screen showing weather warnings for the country's east coastReuters

Cyclone Alfred had hovered for days off the government’s eastern coast as a group two storm before weakening into a tropical depression on Saturday.

By Sunday night, emergency service had conducted over a hundred rescues in Queensland and NSW- most involving citizens trapped by rising waterways in their cars or homes. The NSW State Emergency Service reported receiving more than 6, 000 calls for help.

About 290, 000 components in the affected areas remain without strength, and power companies have warned residents the blackouts may linger for days.

Getty Images Brown floodwater swamps a main road in Lismore, with the water reaching metres high up buildings and treesGetty Images
Reuters A damaged and eroded foreshore of a beach is seen on the Gold Coast following heavy rains and winds caused by Cyclone AlfredReuters

Police said on Saturday they had discovered a body in the search for a 61-year-old man who went missing on Friday after his car was caught in floodwaters in Dorrigo, northern NSW.

Emergency responders witnessed the man escaping his car and climbing onto a tree near the riverbank, but rescuers were not able to reach him before he was swept away.

In a separate incident on Saturday, 12 soldiers were injured in a convoy crash in Lismore, about 200km south of Brisbane, as they were on their way to rescue and recovery efforts.

The soldiers were still in hospital on Sunday, two of them in a serious condition, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told a news conference.

” We wish a speedy recovery for all of those young soldiers”, he said.

Queensland’s police authorities said they had not recorded any fatalities or missing people in the state so far as a result of the weather event.