Thousands of residents along Australia's eastern coast have been ordered to evacuate as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches. The Category 2 storm, located approximately 125 kilometers east of Brisbane on Friday afternoon, is expected to make landfall on Saturday, bringing heavy rains and high winds. Around 4 million people reside along the affected coastline.
The cyclone has already caused significant disruption, with around 80,000 homes in Queensland and New South Wales experiencing power outages due to uprooted trees and downed power lines. Public transport in Brisbane has been suspended, and over 1,000 schools have been closed in the affected regions. Flood warnings are in effect, with some areas of New South Wales receiving over 400 millimeters of rain in the past two days.
Authorities are searching for a missing man in northern New South Wales after his vehicle was swept off a bridge. Evacuation centers have been opened as a last resort, and residents are urged to prepare for worsening conditions. The storm is expected to weaken as it approaches Brisbane, but damaging wind gusts up to 120km/h are still anticipated.