<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>339881</docID> <postdate>2025-03-08 08:23:45</postdate> <headline>Alfred downgraded to tropical low but danger remains</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-339882" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250307154442694700-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>Strong winds uprooted trees on the Gold Coast as Cyclone Alfred approached Queensland and NSW. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Rex Martinich, William Ton</strong> and <b>Rachael Ward</b>Â </span></p> <p><strong>Tropical Cyclone Alfred has been downgraded to a tropical low but millions of Australians have been warned to hunker down for dangerous conditions including flash flooding, heavy rain and intense winds.</strong></p> <p>The ex-tropical cyclone is on track to cross the coast on Saturday morning, with a severe weather warning issued for most of southeast Queensland and northern NSW.</p> <p>"The category of a tropical cyclone is only dependent on the wind gusts so while the winds are backing off a little bit, the rain is still coming through in full force," weather bureau Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told ABC TV.</p> <p>"We're still seeing widespread flash flooding, widespread impacts likely to continue through today and well into tomorrow as well."</p> <p>Wild weather pummelled coastal communities overnight, with 120 millimetres of rain recorded at the Gold Coast and 130mm at Lismore since 9am on Friday.</p> <p>Some 240,000 homes and businesses have lost power in southeast Queensland and thousands more have been warned to brace for ongoing outages.</p> <p>Dozens of evacuation alerts have been issued for communities in northern NSW and the Lismore levee is expected to spill later on Saturday.</p> <p>A man remains missing in floodwaters in Megan near Coff's Harbour after he was swept away by rushing water as he clung to a tree.</p> <p>Brisbane cafe owner Quat Vu has spent days preparing and is as ready as he can be.</p> <p>His Eightysix Cafe was inundated during the 2022 floods which devastated more than 20,000 homes and caused $2 billion in damage.</p> <p>"We know what to expect and we had a bit more time to prepare," Mr Vu told AAP.</p> <p>Blue translucent tarps line his brick cafe's windows, hunkered down with lines of yellow and white sandbags.</p> <p>"We had (sandbags) to a certain height but then we got the latest news about what the cyclone is doing and how it is going to dump a lot more rain so we're just getting ready," he said.</p> <p>It's a team effort across southeast Queensland, as neighbours and locals chip in to prepare for the wild weather.</p> <p>"We're hoping for the best on Saturday," he said.</p> <p>Significant impacts are expected from Double Island Point in Queensland down to Yamba in NSW.</p> <p>"We're asking people to have a plan. That's the greatest thing you can have in this," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said.</p> <p>Those in NSW's northern rivers region face an anxious wait, with about 19,000 residents told to leave.</p> <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a team of 66 disaster response personnel have arrived from New Zealand to assist, as hardship payments for those who are unable to work activate.</p> <p>https://citynews.com.au/2025/alfred-retraumatising-people-whove-lived-through-other-disasters/</p> </body>