Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred Leaves 300,000 Homes Without Power

More rainfall is expected to hit southeast Queensland and northern NSW.

An electricity worker stands on a ladder as he works on electricity wires that were damaged due to strong winds from Cyclone Alfred in the suburb of Elanora on the Gold Coast on March 8, 2025. DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images

Over 300,000 Australian homes are without power as downpours and flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continue.

On March 9, Alfred began moving as a tropical low from Bribie Island, Queensland, across the coast, and inland, towards southwest Queensland.

In southeast Queensland, 100,000 residents lost electricity overnight, and there are presently 243,000 outages across the National Broadband Network, mostly in Queensland.

Forecasters expect up to 700mm of rain and destructive gusts to continue through Monday.

Over 45 people have been rescued so far in the latest flood event, and around 15,000 people throughout New South Wales (NSW) are still under 36 emergency warnings.

NSW North Coast Minister Rose Jackson noted that 800 people sought shelter in evacuation centres on Sunday.

Danger Warnings

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated warnings about the dangers of the ongoing natural disaster, referring to the death of a 61-year-old NSW man swept away by flood waters.

The man and his ute were swept into floodwaters at Megan, around 25 kilometres from Dorrigo in NSW, on March 7. He climbed a tree about 30 meters from the riverbank but was swept away before emergency personnel could reach him.

Emergency crews rescued 17 people who drove into floodwaters in the past day, and the State Emergency Services urged people not to risk their lives by ignoring the strict warnings.

A damaged home is pictured after a tree uprooted by strong winds crashed into the structure in the suburb of Elanora as Cyclone Alfred passed near the Gold Coast on March 8, 2025. DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images

Forecasted Weather

More rainfall is expected to hit southeast Queensland and northern NSW. The Bureau of Meteorology warned of swollen rivers leading to flash flooding in these regions.

The flood levee levels in Lismore, which experienced devastating flooding in 2022, are expected to hold steady as the cyclone subsides in severity.

The Wyaralong Dam, southwest of Brisbane, has started overflowing due to the heavy rain.

Isolated rainfalls of up to 400mm are expected on Sunday and another trough from Central Australia will drag the weather activity inland over northern NSW.

Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said the weather system will shift all this wet weather to coastal parts of NSW by Wednesday and clear mid to late week. Narramore said southeast Queensland should start to see conditions easing from persistent rainfall on Monday.

Multiple flood warnings remain in effect for Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Clarence, and Bellinger rivers in NSW.

6 Defence Personnel Seriously Injured

Meanwhile, six Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, deployed to assist following the storms and flooding of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, have been seriously injured after two military trucks rolled.

Thirteen personnel overall sustained injuries and NSW Police said on Sunday that the injured soldiers were being treated in local hospitals.

Albanese said 32 soldiers were on board the two trucks and six sustained serious injuries.

“Everyone at the scene did their best to look after their mates,” the prime minister told reporters.

The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on March 8, when one truck left the roadway and rolled several times into a paddock. The second truck tipped onto its side attempting to avoid the first truck.

The troops were from the Seventh Brigade based at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, coming from both the Second Combat Engineer Regiment and the Seventh Service Support Battalion.

Albanese said there are no easy days for the extraordinary members of the ADF.

“Every day could bring danger and carries risk, yet they step up and face them for the Australian people,” he said.

“These men and women are heroes who were on their way to help people in need. They were doing this at a time when some of their own families were bearing the brunt of Alfred.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles fended off questions concerning the capability of the army in natural disaster situations.

Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, said in a post on X that the ADF is at the forefront of Australia’s disaster response, bravely stepping into danger to protect and support communities.

Dutton expressed deep concern about reports of ADF personnel seriously injured near Lismore while assisting with flood recovery.

“Our thoughts, prayers and gratitude are with them, their families, and their fellow personnel. Wishing all those injured a full and speedy recovery,” he said.

Public transport, excluding trains and Gold Coast buses, is resuming while shops and service stations will reopen on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, giant supermarket chain, Woolworths said some of its stores are reopening and shelves are being restocked.