Australia: Queensland, Australia, is grappling with widespread power outages and flood alerts after the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, downgraded to a tropical low, unleashed damaging winds and torrential rains across the state.
As of Sunday, approximately 316,540 residents were without electricity, with the Gold Coast region bearing the brunt of the storm, experiencing over 112,000 outages, according to energy distributor Energex.
The storm, which made landfall on Saturday after a 16-day journey as a cyclone, prompted extensive preparations by millions of Queenslanders.
While the state capital, Brisbane, was spared the full force of the storm, the impact was felt throughout the southeast, extending into neighboring New South Wales.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nation, stating that, “The situation in Queensland and northern New South Wales remains very serious due to flash-flooding and heavy winds.”
The Bureau of Meteorology issued warnings of heavy rainfall capable of triggering flash flooding, potentially affecting Brisbane, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast, and Gympie. Damaging wind gusts reaching approximately 90 kph (60 mph) remained a threat.
Brisbane Airport reopened on Sunday, but officials cautioned that “ongoing weather may affect the schedule.” The decision regarding the reopening of approximately 1,000 state schools, closed due to the severe weather, would be made on Sunday.
Tragically, the storm’s impact extended to northern New South Wales, where one man died in floodwaters on Saturday. Additionally, two Australian Defense Force vehicles en route to assist residents in Lismore were involved in a road collision, resulting in injuries to several officers.
