The Alfred cyclone hit the east coast of Australia on Thursday (6), leading authorities to close airports, schools and public transportation.
Residents stocked supplies and put sand bags in their homes to try to protect themselves from expected floods, with the arrival of the storm of category two.
The heavy rains are now expected to go to the coast, reaching Brisbane, the third most populous city in Australia, on Saturday morning (8), according to the last update of the Meteorology Office.
The destructive range of the storm will extend through the border regions of the states of Queensland and New Wales of the South, the office said, bringing heavy rainfall, flooding and strong winds.
“Alfred is behaving at the moment as a completely unwanted guest. He told us it will take time, but it will take even longer, ”said New Wales from Southern State, Chris Minns. “Unfortunately, this means that the window for destruction in our community is longer than we would like.”
Storm alerts extend for more than 500 km along the northeast coast, while huge waves caused by the cyclone invaded beaches.
Authorities asked residents in areas prone to floods that would withdraw as soon as possible.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the defense force would be ready to support emergency services.
According to Dean Narramore, meteorologist at the Australian Meteorological Department, cyclone paralysis can result in “a longer and longer period of heavy rainfall, particularly in the north of New South Wales”, leading to sudden floods with life -threatening.
Sara Robertson, resident of Nova Wales do Sul, and the family changed all the value of her home in rural Murwillumbah to a motel before the storm.
“I’m glad we got a little more breathtaking, I feel very tired today and we still have a lot to do,” Robertson told ABC News after moving computers and electronics to the motel.
More than 5,000 properties in southeastern Queensland and thousands in the north of new South Wales are out of power after authorities warn that there would be more interruptions when wind speed increased.
Brisbane airport has announced that it will suspend operations around 4 pm on Thursday, but will keep the terminals open for defense operations.
Qantas Airways said its international Brisbane operations would remain suspended until noon on Saturday and household flights until Sunday morning (9).
More than 1,000 schools in southeastern Queensland and 250 in the north of new South Wales were closed on Thursday, while public transportation in Brisbane was suspended.
The Alfred cyclone was called by the authorities of a “very rare event” to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland State, with the city last hit by a cyclone over half a century ago in 1974. The city of about 2.7 million almost suffered from cyclones in 1990 in 2019.
This content was originally published in Cyclone Alfred hits the Australian coast on Thursday (6) on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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