Cyclone Alfred - Power Outages and Evacuations orders issued

Cyclone Alfred is inching closer to the coast, leaving tens of thousands of people without power across southeast Queensland and northern NSW. Thousands more have been told to evacuate as the slow-moving storm keeps everyone on edge.

Damaging winds of up to 120 km/h were already whipping through areas from Moreton Island to Byron Bay on Thursday night—possibly more than a day before the cyclone makes landfall. For people in Lismore and other flood-prone parts of northern NSW, the situation is especially dire. Many have been ordered to leave their homes as flooding is expected to cut off escape routes.

NSW Premier Chris Minns warned residents not to stay behind, saying, "If they remain in the area, they become trapped, they may be without power, water, and other essential services for an extended period of time." With heavy rain on the way, evacuation routes could quickly become impassable.

As of late Thursday, Alfred was 245 kilometers east of Brisbane—actually further from the coast than earlier in the evening. The cyclone is crawling at just 6 km/h, and its unpredictable movements have thrown off previous forecasts about when and where it might hit. Now, it’s expected to cross the coast as a category 2 storm either Friday night or early Saturday morning, bringing destructive winds up to 155 km/h.

The rain and flooding are also a major concern. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of up to 450 millimeters of rain in some areas, with major flood warnings issued for multiple rivers including the Logan, Albert, and Tweed rivers. More than 20 evacuation orders were issued throughout northern NSW on Thursday, impacting places like Lismore, Port Macquarie, Kyogle, and Tumbulgum.

Lismore, which has been hit by floods repeatedly, is particularly vulnerable, with thousands of residents in danger of being cut off. In Port Macquarie, residents along the Hastings River had until 1 a.m. to evacuate, while areas like Billinudgel, Fingal Head, Uki, Bowraville, and Macksville were also under emergency warnings.

The power situation is dire, with over 32,000 people already without electricity by Thursday night. More outages are expected as the storm progresses. The southern Gold Coast and areas south of the border, like Cabarita Beach and Tweed Heads, are among the hardest hit.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said everyone in the region would feel the impact of the storm but praised the community for preparing well: "I know we spent a lot of time preparing.

We've prepositioned everything from generators to staff and I think Queenslanders have responded really, really well."

Schools are shut, and public transport is canceled across southeast Queensland. Brisbane Airport closed to passenger flights, with the last one landing at 3:35 p.m. Even the Brisbane Broncos NRL team had to take a chartered flight to Toowoomba and bus back to Brisbane after their game in Sydney.

Meanwhile, some Gold Coasters made the most of the day off by heading to the beach to watch surfers tackle massive waves with the help of jet skis. The swells reached over 12 meters—reportedly the highest ever recorded at Main Beach. But authorities weren’t amused, warning of $16,000 fines for those who ignored orders to stay out of the water.

The dangerous conditions even prompted a warning from Surf Life Saving Queensland, with lifesaving services manager Natalie Edwards saying there were a "large number of near misses" as people got too close to the shore and had to scramble away from sudden surges.

The situation remains fluid, and residents in the impacted areas are being urged to stay indoors and stay safe.