More than 300, 000 components are without electricity as a tropical cyclone edges closer to Australia’s eastern coast, lashing the area with heavy rain.
Storm Alfred has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical small, but local officials have warned that the danger it poses is” no over”.
Violent gusts have now fallen trees and power ranges, with highways flooded in low-lying areas as the wind approaches land. Alfred is forecast to hit the beach near Brisbane before moving further inside later on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people have been told to leave from the tide’s route, while others have been urged to stay home.
Four million people across Queensland and northeastern New South Wales are in the firing range of the wind, with lots of climate warnings in position across both places.
The crisis companies say they are working with power companies, after some people were told they could be without power for days.
Around 287, 000 consumers are experiencing disruptions in south east Queensland, according to power company Energex, while Essential Energy said more than 42, 600 homes and businesses in New South Wales had experienced disruptions.
Individuals in Brisbane, Queensland’s money, went to bed on Friday bracing for strong winds and heavy rain.
They woke up on Saturday to learn that the storm had been downgraded and the town would avoid the worst of the wind.
But the danger’s no over in various parts of southern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said” the worst is yet to come”, and along the Gold Coast, which has been pummelled by poor weather the past few weeks, conditions are also quite serious.
There is leading rain and strong winds. There are energy lines down, hundreds of trees have blown over in parks, gardens and along the main streets. There is plenty of dust and emergency services have sectioned off regions most at risk.
” This emergency is not over”, said New South Wales state premier Chris Minns, adding that it is” crucially important” that the public does not “dismiss” the storm.
” It really doesn’t matter to us whether it’s been downgraded from a subtropical storm to a temperature function”, he said.
The country’s emergency services businesses captain, Stuart Fisher, warned people not to be” comfortable” and said officials in the region expect inundation to persist over the next few days.
As the storm has edged closer to land, roughly 1, 000 colleges have closed, people travel has been suspended and flights are shut. Elective surgeries have also been cancelled.
Flights are not expected to resume until Sunday at the earliest.
The BBC has spoken to several people from Brisbane’s homeless community, who have taken refuge at Emmanuel City Mission, which has become a round-the-clock shelter.
At the Treasure Island Holiday Park in the Gold Coast, just north of Surfer’s Paradise, a gum tree had come down between two cabins, damaging a third. Nearby, a boat was half submerged in one of the canals a block away from the beach.
On the coast itself, many paths down to the beach are now unpassable. Instead, there’s a sudden drop to the ocean where the powerful waves have eaten away at the sand.
But the clean-up operation won’t happen for a few days – the wind is still powerful and there’s driving rain.
Residents are starting to venture out to look at the damage, but plenty are remaining indoors to keep themselves safe.