The damage from wind and heavy rain from Alfred continues to wreaked havoc throughout Australia’s Queensland region.
The gusts of wind and heavy rain caused widespread power and flash flooding on parts of Australia’s east coast, killing one person and injured dozens of soldiers.
A few days later, Alfred stripped off the coast as a Category 2 tropical cyclone and fired the 400km (250 miles) coastline, which weakened significantly on Sunday, but still left significant obstruction along that path.
Approximately 316,540 people were out of power as of Sunday in southeast Queensland, energy distributor Energex said.
“The situation in Queensland and northern New South Wales remains very severe due to flash floods and strong winds,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday.
“The effects of heavy rain, gusts of wind damage and coastal waves are expected to continue for the next few days,” Albanese said in Canberra.
The suburbs across Brisbane are already flooded with the waters of today’s floodwaters, caused by overnight heavy rain, rapid rise in river levels, and rising sea levels associated with the existing cyclone Alfred. #9News
Stream here: https://t.co/mzkmcl0m8e pic.twitter.com/jcelfr8c3n
– 9News Queensland (@9newsqueensland) March 9, 2025
Over 230mm (9 inches) of rain was recorded in Hervey Bay, Queensland, in just six hours on Sunday morning.
“We’ve seen it peaked in reporting flash floods at home and businesses,” Crisafulli was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
News.com.au reported that Hervey Bay emergency services have provided multiple rescues “in one of the worst weather emergency on record.”
The Australian Weather Service said heavy rainfall on Sunday that could cause flash floods could affect Queensland Regional Centres in Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast and Gimpie.
The state could have gusts of wind at around 90km/h (60mph), the department said on its website.
Brisbane Airport reopened on Sunday, but posted to X that “ongoing weather could affect schedule.”
Queensland will decide later on Sunday whether or not the roughly 1,000 state schools that were closed due to bad weather will reopen on Monday.
Nearby New South Wales (NSW) has confirmed all public schools that were closed on Friday as Alfred closes again on Monday.
On Saturday, one man died in a flood in northern NSW.
Meanwhile, 13 Australian Defence Force soldiers were injured along the way while NSW’s Lismore city residents were injured in a road crash, officials said. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the two soldiers remain in serious condition.
Alfred was the first cyclone since 1974 to cross the coast of East Australia near the capital of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital.
