Cyclone Alfred Wreaks Havoc In Eastern Australia, Leaving Thousands Without Power

Cyclone Alfred ravaged eastern Australia, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and flooding two states-southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW). Trees and power lines were built on the roads, cutting down energy supply and triggering large-scale rescue efforts.

A 61-year-old man was found dead on Saturday floating in floodwaters in the area, while an additional 12 soldiers were hospitalized after a convoy crash during rescue operations. Although the cyclone dropped away from what could be considered landfall near Brisbane, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had warned that there was still a risk, with very heavy rains and strong winds coming through.

These emergency services have now handled over 6,000 calls for distress operations and today rescued people trapped under floodwaters in homes and vehicles. Currently, about 290,000 properties are in black-out, while electricity retailers warned that outages could last many days yet.

While speaking with BBC News, police said they had discovered a body in the search for a 61-year-old man who went missing on Friday after his car was caught in floodwaters in Dorrigo, northern NSW.

The man climbed a tree close to the riverbed and escaped from his automobile, but emergency personnel couldn't get to him before he was washed away.

Twelve troops were hurt in a different incident on Saturday when a military convoy that was en route to rescue and recovery efforts crashed in Lismore, around 200 kilometres south of Brisbane.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Premier Chris Minns of New South Wales stated that all were still in the hospital, with two in critical condition. "We wish all those young soldiers a speedy recovery," he said.

Police in Queensland, meantime, claimed that the storm had not caused any fatalities or missing persons in the state.

(Source: BBC News)