The Australian Meteorological Department announced today, March 7, that Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall on Saturday, March 8, in the northern region of Brisbane, the country’s third-largest city, with predicted category 2 intensity. As the cyclone slowly moves, concerns arise about the potential for prolonged heavy rainfall, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people from the area.
At present, the cyclone is roughly 200 kilometers offshore but is already generating strong gusts of over 100 kilometers per hour near the Queensland-New South Wales border, leaving more than 20,000 homes on the Gold Coast without electricity. The Brisbane Airport was forced to suspend operations from Thursday afternoon, March 6, and public transportation in the city has been halted, with over 1,000 schools in southeastern Queensland and an additional 280 in northern New South Wales closed.
In response to the crisis, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has deployed 120 military personnel to support rescue and relief efforts. The Prime Minister emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “This is not a time to go out and about, or experience this weather firsthand. Please stay safe and exercise caution.”
Meanwhile, communities are racing to prepare for potential flooding, as some areas have seen accumulation of over 400 millimeters of rain in the past 48 hours. Authorities note that Cyclone Alfred is an extremely rare event for Brisbane, with the city last being hit by a cyclone over half a century ago in 1974. Brisbane, with a population of approximately 2.7 million, narrowly escaped cyclones in 1990 and 2019.
