Australia Hit: Cyclone Alfred's Severe Impact

Hundreds of thousands of northern NSW and southeast Queensland residents are experiencing power disruptions and overall flooding following Cyclone Alfred dumped torrential rain and bursts of wind on the area. The cyclone, which had lingered off the east coast for days at category two strength, expended its energy and turned into a tropical depression before making landfall in the Brisbane region on Saturday evening. Albeit the downgrade, however, the storm wreaked havoc with many areas inundated and power lost to almost 290,000 houses.

One fatality is reported in northern NSW. A man aged 61 was carried away by floodwaters after fleeing from his car and reaching for a tree along the riverbank. Emergency workers could not retrieve him before being swept away. In another crash, 12 soldiers were hurt in a collision while traveling in a convoy in Lismore on a journey to rescue and recovery operations. Two of them are still in critical condition at the hospital.

The cyclone caused extensive flooding, knocking down trees, felling electricity lines, and flooding roads in a number of towns. Over 6,000 emergency calls have been responded to, and numerous rescues have been conducted throughout Queensland and NSW. A lot of the rescued individuals were trapped in their homes or cars because of the rising water. Coastal areas, such as the Gold Coast, suffered extensive erosion, adding to the effects of the storm.

Utilities companies issued a warning that electricity may take days to be restored with repair crews attempting to fix the broken facilities. Heavy rain and heavy winds persisting, authorities are urging individuals to remain vigilant against ongoing flooding as well as dangers that can be created. Relief agencies persist in efforts at bringing relief and restoring normalcy to affected communities.

Source & Credits:Information sourced from BBC News.