Storm Alfred latest: Fresh evacuation orders issued as former tropical cyclone hits Australian coast

NSW police says they have been unable to find the missing man who was lost in floodwaters near Dorrigo.

“Police have responded to the scene where the male had been washed downstream, there was a short period of time where they were able to engage with him, however his position inside the flooded river prevented any emergency services from getting close to him. And unfortunately he has been washed downstream.”

The 61-year-old was a local from the Megan township, the police said, and believed to be passing from one area to another.

“His vehicle has entered a flooded bridge and was washed off. This highlights the public messaging; do not enter flooded roads, bridges or causeways.”

NSW premier Chris Minns warned ‘this emergency is not over’ even as Alfred is downgraded.

“The rivers are full, the rain is continuing and expected to keep falling in the days ahead, and wind conditions are very high and extreme, particularly on the coast, particularly in the Byron Shire right up to the Queensland border,” the premier said this morning.

“It is crucially important that the public not dismiss this weather event as something that has already passed.”

It really doesn’t matter to us whether it has been downgraded from the tropical cyclone to a weather event, or whether it is still a tropical cyclone.

The effect on the northern rivers communities and lower down into the Coffs Harbour area is still the same for thousands and thousands of families.

The next 24 hours will be crucially important as we look to see what the weather event will do to these communities.”

Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred has been lingering off the coast of Queensland for hours as a very slow-moving system.

The storm lies off Bribie Island and is moving slowly north, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

It is expected to cross the mainland coast between Maroochydore and Bribie Island this morning.

The storm was downgraded to a Tropical Low, which means it doesn’t have cyclone strength anymore but it is still continuing to lash a large region with rainfall.

The tropical low has sustained winds near the centre of 55 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 85kmph.

It was located within 65km north northeast of Brisbane and 40km south southeast of Maroochydore.

BoM said heavy rainfall is expected to continue over southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales during the weekend.

Cases of the deadly bacterial infection melioidosis have surged in north Queensland following this year’s devastating floods, with 119 infections reported—more than three times the number recorded in the same period in 2024.

Sixteen people have died so far.

Of the confirmed cases, 106 were detected in Cairns and Townsville.

The disease, caused by the soil-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, thrives in tropical regions and is typically triggered by environmental disruptions such as flooding. The bacteria can enter the body through cuts, inhalation, or contaminated water consumption.

Associate Professor Jeffrey Warner, a microbiology expert at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, described melioidosis as an “opportunistic infection” that primarily affects those with underlying health conditions, including diabetes and kidney disease.

Heavy alcohol consumption also increases susceptibility.

The disease, often mistaken for severe respiratory infections, can rapidly progress to pneumonia and sepsis. “Even when people present in well-resourced hospitals, the disease can be fatal,” the Guardian quoted Dr Warner as saying.

Thousands of residents in Australia’s east were ordered to evacuate ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s landfall on Saturday as the storm brought heavy rains, huge waves and strong winds that cut off power, eroded beaches and closed airports.

Alfred has been moving slowly toward the coast raising concerns it could result in a longer and prolonged period of heavy rainfall. It is still expected to land as a Category 2 storm north of Brisbane, Australia’s third-most populous city, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

“Overnight we saw it packed a punch,” Queensland premier David Crisafulli said.

“You will continue to see the winds during the course of today but then there is that rain and often in cyclones, that rainfall, lots of it in a short window can also be really problematic,” Mr Crisafulli told ABC News.

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese ruled out calling a national election for April on Sunday or Monday, as had been expected, so his government can focus on an approaching cyclone in Queensland state.

A national election must be held by mid-May, and had been expected for April so the government could avoid delivering a national budget forecast to show a deficit”It is our intention to serve full term,” Mr Albanese said in a television interview with the ABC News on Friday evening.

The preparation work had been done to deliver a budget on 25 March, he said.

“I have no intention of doing anything that distracts from what we need to do. And what we need to do is to look after each other at this difficult time,” Mr Albanese added.

New South Wales SES Commissioner Mike Wassing has said in a press conference that 20,000 people in the state’s north-east are under evacuation orders.

They anticipate this number could rise, while there are 131 warnings, including 40 emergency warnings, in the state.

And emergency services have carried out 35 rescues in the past 24 hours, mostly from people driving through floodwaters.

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetSIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Initially expected to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday, the latest forecast shows Alfred is now moving at a speed of just 7kmph, slowed down by half of its speed on Wednesday.

The storm may not reach the coast until early Saturday now, meaning millions in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales will endure damaging winds, torrential rain, and dangerous surf conditions for much longer than anticipated.

The Australian prime minister said there is “no question” Alfred will have an impact on the national economy.

“Businesses are closed, people are unable to go to work,” Anthony Albanese said.

“The human impact is one thing, the environmental impact is significant, but the economic impact is as well.

“We will be making that assessment in the coming days.”