Friday is likely to see the heaviest of the rain before Alfred travels towards inland areas, which will receive between 25 and 100 millimetres over the weekend as the system weakens into a tropical low. Wind gusts of up to 120km/h are expected in some parts of north-east NSW.
Lismore MP Janelle Saffin said the community was “preparing for the worst” but “hoping for the best”.
“My heart’s heavy,” she said.
Saffin said community members were doing all they could to prepare amid a sense of anxiety in Lismore.
Lismore MP Janelle Saffin says her “heart is heavy” at the prospect of further flooding in the town.Credit: Brook Mitchell
“We’re battered but not beaten. We’ll get through this,” she said.
Abnormally high tides and powerful waves are expected to cause severe beach erosion along NSW’s North Coast from late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, according to the weather bureau. People are urged to avoid the surf and surf-exposed areas.
The worst erosion is expected to occur between Tweed Heads and Smoky Cape, about 80 kilometres north of Port Macquarie. Record high 14-metre waves were recorded off Wide Bay in Queensland on Sunday.
NSW Police’s Marine Area Command advised people to stay out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas. Rock fishers should avoid fishing from coastal rock platforms exposed to the ocean and seek a safe location sheltered from the surf.
The intense rain forecast from Wednesday into the weekend could lead to flash flooding, the weather bureau warned. The heaviest rainfall is expected south of where Alfred makes landfall.
The NSW SES has deployed additional flood rescue and storm response staff to the Mid-North Coast and Northern Rivers.
“We have also sent communication equipment, support personnel, aviation resources and specialised vehicles ahead of the forecasted impacts later this week,” NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said.
Brisbane residents have started preparing for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.Credit: Dan Peled
In Lismore, supermarkets were stripped bare as residents prepared for the impact.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said Northern Rivers residents were “the most resilient people in the country”, and the region had “gone through hell over the past few years”.
“It’s a shame they have to go through this again, but they’re ready for it.”
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Minns told Today communities should prepare for the worst, adding the situation brought back “all the horrors of 2022”.
“We’re thinking of those communities. We will rebuild with them the day after the storm has been completed,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he intended to travel to Queensland by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
NSW SES Commissioner Michael Wassing urged people in the state’s north to have an exit plan for themselves and their pets and prepare by cleaning up loose items around their homes and sandbagging properties if necessary. Anyone who requires assistance with sandbagging should call the SES on 132 500.
“Our focus will be on continuing to support the community,” Wassing said.
“We’re ready for this, we’re well-trained, our people are well-trained, we have the subject matter expertise there, and we’ll be working with the local community in the coming days.”
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he wanted people “to be ready for this”.
“I want Queenslanders to know we’ve done our bit for our preparations,” Crisafulli told the ABC.
While Sydney is expected to avoid the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, rain is forecast for the next week.
Up to 10 millimetres is forecast for Tuesday, while up to 18 millimetres could fall on Saturday and Sunday, the weather bureau said. Hazardous surf conditions in Sydney are forecast on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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