Australia Readies as Cyclone Veers Towards Eastern Coast

AFP/APP

Byron Bay, Australia: A rare tropical cyclone veered towards Australia’s densely populated eastern coast on Wednesday, triggering emergency warnings, closing hundreds of schools, and threatening to flood thousands of homes.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall on Friday morning near Brisbane, marking the first typhoon to hit the region in more than 50 years, forecasters said.

Flooding rains, destructive winds, and violent waves are set to impact a 300-kilometre (190-mile) stretch of coastline straddling the border of Queensland and New South Wales. According to city council modeling, almost 20,000 homes in Brisbane alone are at risk of inundation.

As thrill-seeking surfers took to the sea to ride five-metre (16-foot) swells generated by the storm, others rushed to fill sandbags or prepared to evacuate to higher ground.

“We’re just making sure that everything is tied down,” said Kim Hollow from the Horizons Motel, located an hour south of Brisbane’s business district.

“The supermarket shelves have been pretty much stripped bare. You can’t buy a candle to save yourself,” he told AFP.

“I must admit my daughter has been on my back a bit. We’ll only leave if we’re told to evacuate. If it’s safe to stay, we’ll stay.”