Heavy rainfall and potentially damaging wind gusts have been forecast for the Southern Downs, putting residents on alert as Tropical Cyclone Alfred threatens Queensland’s south east.
As of Tuesday morning, TC Alfred was located 560 kilometres east of Brisbane as a category two cyclone, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
It was forecast to hit south east Queensland as either a category one or category two cyclone on late-Thursday or early Friday morning before de-intensifying into a tropical low as it moves west.
A cyclone watch zone has been established, spanning from the northern tip of K’gari (Fraser Island) down to just north of Grafton in northern New South Wales.
BoM forecasts showed heavy rain and damaging wind gusts in excess of 90 kilometres per hour could hit the Darling Downs and Granite Belt district on Thursday and Friday when TC Alfred likely makes landfall.
While the Southern Downs sits outside the watch zone, residents began bracing for heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding with local SES groups distributing sandbags as early as Monday.
Southern Downs SES controller Matthew Sondergeld said empty sandbags were “ready to go”.
“We have thousands of them empty,” Mr Sondergeld said.
“At this stage, we’re supplying sandbags non-filled. We do have the decisions for sand down there, so if people want sand in the bags, they do have to fill them themselves.”
Sandbags can be collected at SES headquarters in Warwick at 4 Alice Street and in Stanthorpe on the corner of Mackenzie Street and the New England Highway.
Mr Sondergeld said residents needed to call 132 500 to request the sandbags.
“We still have a paper process. You still have to go through that, request the sandbags and then someone will meet them there and we’ll give them out,” he said.
Mayor Melissa Hamilton said the Southern Downs Regional Council was “working closely” with its state and federal government partners to ensure the region was “prepared” and that “appropriate and timely action” could be taken when needed.
“Council will continue to provide regular updates and the latest information on its Disaster Management Dashboard at disaster.sdrc.qld.gov.au,” Cr Hamilton said.
Upwards of 80 to 90mm of rain has been forecasted for Stanthorpe and Warwick respectively on Friday.
BoM meteorologist Sarah Scully said the heaviest rainfall totals across south and south east Queensland were “highly dependent” on the “path, the intensity and the speed” of the tropical cyclone.
Authorities have told residents in TC Alfred’s path to be prepared.
“Go onto the disaster website, go and have a look at what the BoM’s saying, talk to your neighbour,” Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said.
