Ex-Cyclone Alfred yesterday stalled off the rain and wind-lashed coast of eastern Australia, threatening to unleash floods after blacking out more than 330,000 homes and businesses, while 36 people were injured when two army trucks collided.
The former tropical cyclone — now downgraded to a tropical depression — has battered the coastline with gale-force winds that toppled trees, brought down power lines and damaged buildings.
It was still creating heavy rainfall, swelling rivers in parts of a 400km stretch of the coast straddling southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales, government forecasters said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Utility companies said 295,000 properties in southeast Queensland and another 42,600 in New South Wales were without power, warning that floods could hamper repairs.
“That’s the largest ever loss of power from a natural disaster in Queensland’s history,” state Premier David Crisafulli said, adding that about 750,000 people had been affected since the blackouts began.
Although the weather system “stalled and began weakening,” the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said that intense rain and damaging wind gusts were a risk throughout the weekend.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Rivers are already starting to respond to the heavy rainfall, with many minor to major flood warnings current,” the bureau said in a statement.
A 61-year-old man’s body was found yesterday after his four-wheel drive pickup truck was swept off a bridge into a river in northern New South Wales.
He had clambered out of the vehicle and tried in vain to cling to a tree branch in the river before disappearing into the rapid waters on Friday, police said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Two army trucks on a storm aid deployment collided yesterday, injuring 36 people who were rushed to multiple hospitals, emergency services and police said.
Australian Defence Force personnel were injured when the trucks crashed southwest of the flood-prone city of Lismore, New South Wales, police said in a statement.
Some of the troops’ injuries were serious, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement with the defense minister.
“Right now our focus is on the welfare of those involved and their families,” it said.
Albanese also warned people not to underestimate storm risks.
“While it has been downgraded, very serious risks remain so it is important that people do not take this downgrading as a reason for complacency,” he told a news conference. “Its impact will be serious and will intensify over coming hours and indeed over coming days.”
Evacuation orders have been issued for 16,200 people in New South Wales, where 30 flood rescues have been carried out over the past 24 hours, emergency services said.
Paramedic Ginny Burke, 30, said she was at work when the wind uprooted a large gum tree that smashed through the house she is renting in Elanora on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
She said she returned to her crushed home, where her sister recounted that she had heard the tree fall on Friday evening, but described the calamity as “really unexciting.”
“What can you do?” Burke said. “It’s just stuff. Everyone’s safe.”
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