Alfred to slow and lessen in severity, but window of destruction remains open

The western edge of Alfred was sitting about 225 kilometres east of Brisbane and 215 kilometres east of the Gold Coast on Thursday afternoon.

NSW Premier Chris Minns compared Cyclone Alfred to an “unwanted houseguest”.

“It’s told us that it’s going to be late, but linger even longer, and unfortunately, that means the window for destruction in our community, heavy rains, winds, powerful surf is longer than we would otherwise like,” he told reporters in Lismore.

“We know that communities in the Northern Rivers are resilient people, but you need them to understand that the threat isn’t over, and as a result, they need to make sure they’re doing everything they can to prepare,” he said.

Acting NSW SES Chief Superintendent Stuart Fisher said strong winds in Lismore were expected to bring down power lines and trees, making it more difficult for emergency services to access people stuck in flooded areas.

“The weather is deteriorating rapidly for us – whilst it may look like the rivers aren’t flooding, there is high concern that they will start flooding tonight and continue into tomorrow,” said Fisher.

“We do expect other areas to be under evacuation orders tomorrow.”

A State Emergency Operations Centre was opened in Homebush, in Sydney’s inner-west, to act as a central hub and provide assistance and intelligence for response agencies.

Destructive winds of up to 155km/h and a dangerous storm tide could hit as far south as Cape Byron, the weather bureau said.

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Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly on Thursday afternoon and evening as winds and rainfall increase. Parts of the state’s north-east are forecast to be drenched with up to 800mm of rain from Wednesday to Saturday, while other areas could receive sustained rainfall of up to 600mm.

Flood evacuation warnings were in place for residents in Ballina, Tweed Heads, South Golden Beach, Pottsville and Hastings Point.

Fifteen evacuation centres were set up and already housing dozens of locals, but NSW Police Superintendent Scott Tanner warned these centres were for survival.

“Don’t expect a cruise ship – this is a life raft. Don’t go expecting five-star service,” he said.

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As of Thursday, nearly 300 schools had been closed, including 247 public schools and 33 independent schools. The schools were due to remain closed on Thursday.

Ballina, Coffs Harbour and Gold Coast airports were also closed, but some flights in and out of Brisbane were still operating.

Alfred was initially forecast to cross the coast early on Friday morning, sparking concerns it would coincide with high tide at 1am (AEDT), causing dangerous storm surges, and creating a weather event not seen in NSW since Tropical Cyclone Nancy hit the state in 1990.

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