Homes and cars have been crushed by falling trees as high-speed winds from Tropical Cyclone Alfred wreak havoc in South East Queensland and northern NSW.
The category two storm is continuing to head towards the Queensland coast, with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting that as of 12pm Friday it was 150km east southeast of Brisbane and 120km east northeast of the Gold Coast
“Alfred is most likely to cross over the Moreton Bay Islands Saturday morning before crossing the mainland coast, most likely between Noosa and Beenleigh later during Saturday,” the BOM said.
High-speed winds from the storm are already beginning to cause significant damage.
Two occupants of a Currumbin Valley home were lucky to escape with only minor injuries after a large gum tree crushed their home.
The Queensland Ambulance Service said both occupants of the home were transported to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.
“As Tropical Cyclone Alfred moves closer to the coast, ensure you have secured loose items, avoid driving in windy and rainy conditions and stay indoors where possible,” the ambulance service said in a statement.
Multiple homes were also crushed by falling trees in Mudgeeraba, including a house on Currong Crescent.
Other residents were lucky enough to have trees fall on their properties without landing on their homes.
Damage from Cyclone Alfred has also left thousands of homes and businesses without power
As of 1.15pm on Friday, there were 44,646 Energex customers in South East Queensland without power, with more than 37,000 outages occurring on the Gold Coast.
Suburbs with the most homes and businesses without power were Coolangatta (3980) Tugan (3653), Mudgeeraba (3065), Macleay Island (2425), and Burleigh Waters (2055).
Northern NSW has also been battered by Cyclone Alfred, with NSW SES reporting that as of Friday morning, they had already responded to 3,494 incidents.
Trees have collapsed on homes and cars south of the border, while roads have also been blocked.
The State Emergency Service has issued multiple flood warnings for the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast regions, urging residents to evacuate and move to higher ground.
NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said emergency services were already needing to respond to flood rescue requests due to people driving through flood waters, while Deputy Premier Prue Car pleaded with members of the community to listen to advice.
“Our message to the community is please stay safe and help the SES and authorities by making sure you stay away from the oceans (and) you do not go near flood waters,” she said.
“Make sure you are prepared, and if emergency services advise you to do something, please follow their orders and their advice.”
