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Police warn against idiotic cyclone behaviour

<p>As Tropical Cyclone Alfred unleashes powerful storm surges and massive waves along Australia’s coastline, videos have emerged on social media showing people risking their lives for the perfect shot - despite repeated warnings from authorities to stay away from dangerous coastal areas.</p> <p>Footage circulating online captures individuals walking along the shoreline, snapping pictures, and even getting knocked over by monstrous waves. Some videos have amassed hundreds of thousands of views, sparking widespread criticism.</p> <p>One alarming incident occurred at Elephant Rock in Currumbin, where a group of people became trapped at a lookout after massive swells wiped out the road connecting them to the mainland. Viewers of the viral video condemned their reckless actions, with many questioning why they were out sightseeing during such treacherous conditions.</p> <p>Authorities have also reported a missing jet skier on the Gold Coast, heightening concerns about public safety during the storm. Gold Coast Acting Chief Superintendent Peter Miles expressed his frustration over the situation.</p> <p>“We all need to be a bit more smart about this and ensure that we don’t have any unneeded rescues or potentially worse where we’re looking at fatalities,” he said. “This isn’t a sunset where you can take a nice picture. You’re dealing with Mother Nature at her wildest.”</p> <p>Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates has threatened fines of up to $16,100 for those ignoring safety warnings and engaging in reckless behaviour along the coast. “For all those people that are going down to the beach and standing on the rock walls or on the sand, please stay away,” Gates pleaded on Thursday afternoon.</p> <p>“We’ve been in touch with police today. There’s been some really foolish behaviour, and it’s so important that people stay away from the beach.</p> <p>“We have been declared a disaster zone, which enables police to take action, and anyone performing a reckless action can actually be fined up to $16,100.”</p> <p>She went on to stress the importance of spreading the message widely, hoping to deter further risky actions: “It’s really in an effort to keep people who are a bit stupid, safe. We need to tell them over and over again, stay out of the water. It’s dangerous.”</p> <p>Her concerns were echoed by Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg, who urged residents to avoid becoming “environmental tourists” during the storm.</p> <p>“Don’t put others in danger because you want to become an environmental tourist or take some of these selfies and put yourself in harm’s way,” he said in a press conference alongside NSW Premier Chris Minns. “Heed the warnings, stay at home and protect your loved ones, and please stay safe.”</p> <p><em>Image: TikTok</em></p>

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Why Alfred is such an "unusual" cyclone

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>Cyclone Alfred has now been delayed, as the slow-moving system <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/06/cyclone-alfred-news-update-landfall-when-will-it-hit-why-did-it-slow-down">stalls</a> in warm seas off southeast Queensland. Unfortunately, the expected slow pace of the cyclone will bring even more rain to affected communities.</p> <p>This is because it will linger for longer over the same location, dumping more rain before it moves on. Alfred’s slowing means the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-06/cyclone-alfred-stalling-at-sea-later-landfall/105016522">huge waves</a> triggered by the cyclone will last longer too, likely making coastal erosion and flooding worse.</p> <p>Cyclone Alfred is unusual – the first cyclone in half a century to come this far south and make expected landfall.</p> <p>When unusual disasters strike, people naturally want to know what role climate change played – a process known as “climate attribution”. Unfortunately, this process takes time if you want details on a specific event.</p> <p>We can’t yet say if Alfred’s unusual path and slow speed are linked to climate change. But climate change <em>is</em> driving very clear trends which can load the dice for more intense cyclones arriving in subtropical regions. These include the warm waters which fuel cyclones spreading further south, and cyclones dumping more rain than they used to.</p> <p>So, let’s unpick what’s driving Cyclone Alfred’s behaviour – including the potential role of climate change.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ADuTsiDlMh8?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">A Bureau of Meteorology update on Cyclone Alfred dated Thursday, March 6.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Not necessarily climate linked: Alfred’s southerly path</h2> <p>Many cyclones make it as far south as Brisbane – but they’re nearly all far out at sea. Weather patterns mean most cyclones heading south are diverted to the east, where remnants can hit New Zealand as large extratropical storms.</p> <p>The fact that Alfred is set to make landfall is very unusual. But we can’t yet definitively say this is due to climate change. Cyclones are steered by winds and weather patterns, and the Coral Sea’s complex weather makes cyclone paths here very hard to predict.</p> <p>Alfred’s abrupt westward shift is due to a large region of high pressure to its south, which has pushed it directly towards heavily populated areas of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. These steering winds are not very strong, which is why Alfred is moving slowly.</p> <p>In 2014, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13278">researchers showed</a> cyclones are reaching their maximum intensity in areas further south in the southern hemisphere and north in the northern hemisphere than they used to. In 2021, researchers also found cyclones were reaching their <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb9038">maximum intensity</a> closer to coasts, moving about 30 km closer per decade.</p> <h2>Climate link: Warmer seas</h2> <p>Cyclones typically need water temperatures of 26.5°C or more <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/Articles/2025/March/things-to-know-about-tropical-cyclones">to form</a>.</p> <p>More than 90% of all extra heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is stored <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-ocean-heat-content">in the seas</a>. The oceans are the <a href="https://theconversation.com/2024s-extreme-ocean-heat-breaks-records-again-leaving-2-mysteries-to-solve-246843">hottest on record</a>, and records keep falling. But normal seasonal variability and shifting ocean currents are still at work too, and we can get unusually warm waters without climate change as a cause.</p> <p>What we do know is that ocean temperatures around much of Australia have been unusually warm.</p> <p>The northeastern Coral Sea, where Cyclone Alfred formed, <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/timeseries.cgi?graph=sst&amp;area=cor&amp;season=01&amp;ave_yr=0&amp;ave_period=6190">experienced</a> the fourth-hottest temperatures on record for February and the hottest on record for January.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=566&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=566&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653437/original/file-20250306-56-z5mg7o.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=566&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="figure showing rising sea temperatures in february in coral sea." /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">In the Coral Sea, sea surface temperatures were the fourth highest on record in February 2025 and the highest on record in January 2025. This figure shows the trend over time for February.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/timeseries.cgi?graph=sst&amp;area=cor&amp;season=02&amp;ave_yr=0&amp;ave_period=6190">Bureau of Meteorology</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>We also know Australia’s southern waters are <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/change/timeseries.cgi?graph=sst&amp;area=sth&amp;season=1202&amp;ave_yr=0&amp;ave_period=6190">warming up</a> too.</p> <p>The energy available to power tropical cyclones in subtropical regions has also increased in recent decades, due largely to rising ocean temperatures.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=492&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=492&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=492&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=618&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=618&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653417/original/file-20250305-56-8v9737.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=618&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="sea surface temperature map queensland" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Average sea surface temperatures in central and southern Queensland on Thursday March 6th. Point Danger is on the Gold Coast.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.bom.gov.au/oceanography/forecasts/idyoc300.shtml?region=SEQLD&amp;forecast=SST">Bureau of Meteorology</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Climate link: Fewer cyclones but more likely to be intense</h2> <p>In the northern hemisphere, researchers have found a trend towards fewer cyclones over time. But of those which do form, a higher proportion are more intense.</p> <p>It’s not fully clear if the same trend exists in the southern hemisphere, though we are seeing fewer cyclones forming over time.</p> <p>This summer, eight tropical cyclones have formed in Australian waters. Six were classified as severe (category 3 and up). Historically, Australia has experienced a higher proportion of category 1 and 2 cyclones, which bring weaker wind speeds.</p> <p>On average, <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/Articles/2025/March/things-to-know-about-tropical-cyclones">we see</a> about 11 cyclones form and 4-5 make landfall. There has been a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hurricanes-like-milton-in-the-us-and-cyclones-in-australia-are-becoming-more-intense-and-harder-to-predict-241000">downward trend</a> in the number of cyclones forming in the Australian region in recent decades.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=391&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=391&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=391&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=492&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=492&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/653438/original/file-20250306-56-nk34gw.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=492&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="figure showing falling number of tropical cyclones in Australia over time" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Fewer cyclones, but more likely to be intense: this figure shows the number of severe (Category 3 and up) and non-severe tropical cyclones (Category 1 and 2) since 1970/71.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/history/climatology/">Bureau of Meteorology</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Climate link: Cyclones dumping more rain</h2> <p>The intensity of a cyclone refers to the speed of the wind and size of the wind-affected area.</p> <p>But a cyclone’s rain field is also important. This refers to the area of heavy rain produced by storms when they’re at cyclone intensity and afterwards as they decay into tropical lows.</p> <p>The rate of rainfall brought by cyclones in Australia isn’t necessarily increasing, but more cyclones are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0227-5">moving slowly</a>, such as Alfred. This means more rain per cyclone, on average.</p> <p>Rising ocean temperatures mean more water evaporates off the sea surface, meaning forming cyclones can absorb more moisture and dump more rain when it reaches land.</p> <p>Why are cyclones slowing down? This is likely because air current circulation in the tropics has weakened. This has a clear link to climate change. Wind speeds have fallen <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0227-5">5 to 15%</a> in the tropics, depending on where you are in the world. It’s hard to pinpoint the change clearly in our region, because the historic record of cyclone tracks isn’t very long.</p> <p>For every degree (°C) of warming, rainfall intensity increases 7%. This is <a href="https://wmo.int/topics/extreme-weather">well established</a>. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/supercharged-thunderstorms-have-we-underestimated-how-climate-change-drives-extreme-rain-and-floods-228896">newer research</a> is showing the rate may actually be <a href="https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/1251/2024/hess-28-1251-2024-assets.html">double this</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EF004808">even higher</a>, as the process of condensation releases heat which can trigger more rain.</p> <h2>Clear climate link: Bigger storm surges due to sea level rise</h2> <p>Sea levels are on average about <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level">20 centimetres higher</a> than they were before 1880.</p> <p>When a cyclone is about to make landfall, its intense winds push up a body of seawater ahead of it – the storm surge. In low lying areas, this can spill out and flood streets.</p> <p>Because climate change is causing baseline sea levels to rise, storm surges can reach further inland. Sea-level rise will also make coastal erosion more destructive.</p> <h2>What should we take from this?</h2> <p>We can’t say definitively that climate change is behind Cyclone Alfred’s unusual track.</p> <p>But factors such as rising sea levels, slower cyclones and warmer oceans are changing how cyclones behave and the damage they can do.</p> <p>Over time, we can expect to see cyclones arriving in regions not historically affected – and carrying more rain when they arrive.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/251594/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/liz-ritchie-tyo-1509061"><em>Liz Ritchie-Tyo</em></a><em>, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dowdy-119002">Andrew Dowdy</a>, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hamish-ramsay-19549">Hamish Ramsay</a>, Principal Research Scientist, Environment, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cyclone-alfred-is-slowing-and-that-could-make-it-more-destructive-heres-how-climate-change-might-have-influenced-it-251594">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Windy.com</em></p> </div>

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‘Don’t panic, do prepare’: why it’s not too late to plan for Cyclone Alfred

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yetta-gurtner-2337172">Yetta Gurtner</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a></em></p> <p>For millions of people in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales, Cyclone Alfred will be their first experience living through a cyclone. Alfred is forecast to make landfall about 2am on Friday morning.</p> <p>I am a disaster expert based in northern Queensland, which regularly experiences cyclones. In my other role as an acting SES public information officer, I’m heading south to the Gold Coast to help residents prepare and respond.</p> <p>Here’s what I want you to know. First, don’t panic. Second, do prepare.</p> <p>Preparation has several steps. It’s important to clearly assess your specific threat. If you live near the sea, storm surges – where the sea spills inland – could be a significant threat, while flooding might pose a large risk if you live near a river – especially in the few days after Alfred passes. The highest rainfall is likely on Alfred’s southern flank from the Gold Coast down to northern New South Wales.</p> <p>Having enough food, water and medication is vital. Be ready to evacuate too, in case authorities deem it necessary. Check your local council’s disaster website, disaster apps and stay tuned to the ABC, which will run disaster alerts.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EN_yKcjlF20?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest update on Cyclone Alfred’s path and likely impact, as of the morning of Wed 5th March.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What should I do right now?</h2> <p>If you’re in the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml">danger zone</a>, make preparations now, before the full intensity of the cyclone arrives.</p> <p>Tie down loose objects. Clean gutters to avoid overflow from torrential rain. And prepare your “go bag” – a bag of essentials you can throw in the car if authorities tell you to leave immediately. Don’t take too much – just the bare necessities.</p> <p>Buy an AM/FM radio and tune it to ABC National, as you cannot be sure mobile networks will function. Radio is a reliable way to get good information from the ABC, Australia’s designated <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/emergency">emergency channel</a>.</p> <p>Make sure the car is fuelled or charged. If you’ve got a generator, make sure you have fuel and the generator is positioned outside in a well-ventilated area.</p> <p>Water is often unreliable after disasters. Fill your bathtub or front-loader washing machine with water. Put containers of water in your freezer, to keep food cold if the power goes out and as another water source. Plan for days of power outages. Protect windows with plywood, heavy blankets or mattresses. Put a mattress between your car and garage roller door to stop it blowing in.</p> <p>Turn off gas, electricity and solar power.</p> <p>Authorities recommend using sandbags to reduce the chance of water getting in. You can get sacks from hardware stores or council-run emergency centres, if available, who also provide sand. You also need plastic sheeting.</p> <p>If there’s a shortage of sand, you can use garden soil or commercial bagged soil. If you can’t get sacks, large plastic shopping bags will do.</p> <p>Tape strong plastic sheeting around the door or low window where water might get in. This is the barrier that actually keeps water out – sandbags keep it in place.</p> <p>Fill sandbags and lay them <a href="https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/during-emergency/sandbags">like bricks</a>. Lay one row, and lay the next row offset for strength.</p> <p>Sandbags are good, but they have limits. There’s little point in piling sandbags higher than about 30 centimetres. If floodwaters edge higher, water will get through.</p> <p>Many people have had the unpleasant experience of having effluent come back up through toilets during cyclones and subsequent flooding. To stop this, cover your toilet with plastic sheeting (directly on the porcelain) and put a sandbag on top for weight. Do the same for any drains where water might flow back up.</p> <p>To reduce water damage, put valuable or important items up high, atop tables or bunk beds or upstairs if you have a second storey.</p> <h2>What will it be like when Alfred hits?</h2> <p>When the cyclone first hits, it can be overwhelming. The sound is like a roaring jet engine.</p> <p>If you haven’t been advised to evacuate by authorities, you will be sheltering in place.</p> <p>This means finding the safest room in the house, to avoid damage from flying objects. Choose the smallest room with the fewest windows – a bathroom or a room under the stairs. Basements are very safe, but will be the first affected by water.</p> <p>As the cyclone picks up intensity, set up inside this safe room with your pets and children. Do not leave this room until you have been told it’s safe by authorities.</p> <p>At the centre of strong cyclones is the eye of the storm, which we experience as a period of sudden calm. People often make the mistake of thinking it’s over. But in fact, it’s just a brief reprieve before the intense winds pick up again. Don’t make the mistake of leaving the house – check with authoritative sources.</p> <p>Cyclone Alfred is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-05/cyclone-alfred-unusual-triplet-storm-climate-change-factors/105008704">slow-moving cyclone</a>, which means you might be stuck inside for a while. Be prepared to be inside your house for up to 24 hours, even after the worst has passed. This is because there may well be downed powerlines with live electricity, broken glass, falling trees and so on.</p> <p>For your children (and yourself), being in the cyclone is frightening. Young kids find the sound chilling. You can play music through headphones to help soothe them. Board games, books and puzzles can help pass the time. You will need distraction. Have a bucket in the corner for emergency toilet needs.</p> <p>Keep track of the storm and any emerging dangers through your radio and internet-enabled phone (if still functioning).</p> <h2>What if I have to evacuate?</h2> <p>Authorities are working to set up evacuation centres for people whose homes may not be safe. Authorities will go door-to-door to tell affected residents to leave, as well as broadcasting the information on radio and online.</p> <p>You’re more likely to have to evacuate if your house is on low-lying land near the sea, as a storm surge is likely. How much water is pushed ashore will depend on the tide, but it could be as high as 70cm above the high tide line if we’re unlucky.</p> <p>Evacuations can happen after the cyclone too. Alfred is packing a lot of rain – <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/tropical-cyclone-alfred-could-disrupt-afl-and-nrl-matches/1890420">up to a metre</a> in some areas. That’s very likely to cause flooding, both flash floods and rivers breaking their banks.</p> <p>If you are asked to evacuate, you can go to the house of a friend or family member if it’s on higher ground and outside the flood risk zones. Or you can go to a local evacuation centre – check your council website to see where your closest one is. Take as little as possible with you.</p> <p>Many people who choose not to evacuate do so because they’re worried about their pets. This is risky. Some evacuation centres do take pets, so check now. If they don’t, look for other options with friends and family. Staying put after an evacuation order is dangerous.</p> <h2>What will happen after the cyclone?</h2> <p>Cyclone Alfred brings three threats: intense winds, high seas and heavy rain.</p> <p>After the intense winds die down, the seas will be dangerous for days after Alfred. There are coastal hazard warnings for about 1,000km of coastline.</p> <p>Cyclones also often decay into tropical low weather systems, which dump heavy rain for days. This is likely.</p> <p>As you move into recovery phase, don’t relax your guard. In far north Queensland, 16 people have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-04/melioidosis-death-toll-rises-in-queensland/105009772">now died</a> after being infected with melioidosis, a bacterium found in mud. The bug is <a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-an-outbreak-of-melioidosis-in-north-queensland-heres-what-to-know-about-this-deadly-mud-bug-250392">more prevalent</a> after heavy rainfall.</p> <p>Wear protective gear such as gloves and face masks when dealing with water-damaged goods and mud, and pay close attention to the latest advice authorities are giving.</p> <p>But remember – don’t panic. We will get through this.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/251463/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yetta-gurtner-2337172">Yetta Gurtner</a>, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Centre for Disaster Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-panic-do-prepare-why-its-not-too-late-to-plan-for-cyclone-alfred-251463">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Millions in danger as Cyclone Alfred changes course

<p>Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall in Australia's east coast, with millions of people being told to prepare, as the cyclone could bring more than half a metre of rain in some places. </p> <p>“This is a really significant event,” said the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) Angus Hines late on Tuesday.</p> <p>“The main hazards we are expecting are heavy rain and flooding for large areas of Queensland and New South Wales, damaging to destructive winds as well as storm surge and coastal inundation”.</p> <p>A severe weather warning has also been put in place for almost 1000km of the coast, with water levels expected to exceed the highest tide of the year by around half a metre, according to the BOM. </p> <p>Due to it hitting a high pressure area, the cyclone has switched from heading north to south, and is now heading west. </p> <p>As of 4am on Wednesday morning, the cyclone was at category 2 strength, 465km east of Brisbane and 430km from the Gold Coast.</p> <p>A warning zone has been put in place from Double Island Point in Queensland to north of Grafton in New South Wales, as well as Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Ballina.</p> <p>BOM meteorologist Jonathon How said it would make landfall anytime from late Thursday into Friday. </p> <p>“The location of landfall will be critical because we are expecting to see the worst of the impacts, or most significant impacts, on the southern flank of the cyclone.</p> <p>“That does include places like Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and also the Northern Rivers.”</p> <p>Brisbane City Council has a flood modelling system in place, and according to the Courier Mail, as many as 20,000 properties could be at risk from inundation.  In the Gold Coast, 6000 properties could be at risk. </p> <p>The maps of potential flood  zones in the Brisbane City LGA show suburbs including Brighton, Windsor, Ashgrove, Indooroopilly, Sandgate are Rocklea at risk, while in the Gold Coast, Biggara Waters among others could be impacted by floods. </p> <p>Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has urged residents to take the warnings seriously. </p> <p>“In the last few days we’ve spoken to people about having days to prepare, we’re moving into that phase where it’s now about hours,” he told <em>ABC News Breakfast</em> on Wednesday morning.</p> <p>“Do all the little things now, it’ll make a world of difference.”</p> <p>He added that if they are told to evacuate,  “you should leave and I can’t be more blunt than that”. </p> <p>“The idea about replacing property, well, that’s another story for another day. Your priority is you. So if somebody tells you to leave, you should heed that advice.”</p> <p>Residents in northern NSW have also been urged to prepare. </p> <p>“What we need is the community to start being alert and preparing themselves,” NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Deb Platz told Today on Wednesday morning.</p> <p><em>Image: BOM</em></p>

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"Critical": Cyclone Alfred's new landfall location revealed

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">New forecasts reveal that Tropical Cyclone Alfred is set to make landfall in Brisbane’s northern suburbs as it turns "directly" towards Queensland’s coast. The cyclone, upgraded to a category two system overnight, is expected to shift westward on Tuesday evening, putting Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast at risk.</p> <p>As of Tuesday morning, Cyclone Alfred was about 560km east of Brisbane. Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jonathon How indicated that landfall is expected between late Thursday and Friday.</p> <p>“The location of landfall will be critical because we are expecting to see the worst of the impacts, or most significant impacts, on the southern flank of the cyclone,” Mr How said.</p> <p>Areas likely to experience severe weather include Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Northern Rivers, with heavy rainfall expected across multiple regions. The Sunshine Coast may receive 200mm to 400mm of rain, while the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers could see extreme downpours between 500mm and 700mm.</p> <p>Southeast Queensland and northeastern NSW residents, particularly those between Tewantin and Grafton, have been advised to prepare for damaging winds up to 120km/h starting Wednesday. Heavy rainfall, potentially causing "dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding," is forecast from Thursday into Friday.</p> <p>Despite possible fluctuations in the cyclone’s intensity, the Bureau of Meteorology expects Alfred to remain a category two system upon landfall.</p> <p>Energex regional field delivery general manager Kev Lavender urged residents to prepare for potential power outages lasting up to three days.</p> <p>“We are ready to respond to any impacts from severe weather when it is safe to do so,” he stated, noting that strong winds and floods could extensively damage the electricity network.</p> <p>Residents of North Stradbroke Island and Moreton Bay Islands face the risk of being cut off from the mainland. With ferry services being suspended, many must decide whether to stay or evacuate. The last scheduled ferry departures from Victoria Point and Coochie were planned for Tuesday, with potential resumption on Friday, depending on weather conditions.</p> <p>SeaLink Bay Islands also announced possible service disruptions on Tuesday and additional cancellations on Wednesday and Thursday as the cyclone approaches.</p> <p>Coastal areas between Sandy Cape and Yamba have been warned about abnormally high tides and "significant beach erosion" caused by damaging surf. Multiple flood watches are in effect for rivers and catchments across both Queensland and New South Wales.</p> <p>Experts warn that sustained damaging winds and prolonged heavy rainfall could cause major property damage.</p> <p>“These damaging to destructive winds will be sustained over quite a long period of time, meaning we could see quite significant damage to properties and also trees,” Mr How explained.</p> <p>Supermarkets have already seen a surge in demand, with reports of empty shelves and water selling out across multiple Queensland suburbs. Essentials like milk and bread are also in short supply. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli urged supermarkets to keep shelves stocked and encouraged residents to prepare by gathering water, spare batteries, and phone chargers.</p> <p>NSW Premier Chris Minns stressed the importance of heeding emergency warnings and avoiding unnecessary risks, particularly driving through floodwaters.</p> <p>“We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst,” Mr. Minns said, acknowledging that the cyclone warning brings back memories of the devastating 2022 Lismore floods.</p> <p>With widespread flooding and severe weather expected, authorities are urging all residents in the affected regions to remain vigilant, stay informed, and prepare for potentially significant disruptions in the coming days.</p> <p><em>Image: Windy.com</em></p>

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Millions urged to prepare for Cyclone Alfred

<p>Millions of residents in Queensland and Northern New South Wales have been urged to prepare for a historic storm, as tropical Cyclone Alfred is just days away from approaching land. </p> <p>Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross anywhere from Bundaberg in Queensland and northern NSW on Thursday as a category two system, bringing up to 600 millimetres of rain per day.</p> <p>Authorities urged residents to stay vigilant and pay attention to warnings, while also urging locals to have a stash of food ready and to prepare their homes as best they can. </p> <p>Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said residents should do “everything they can” including having tinned food, making an emergency kit, gathering up passports and clearing debris from properties.</p> <p>The state government has requested telecommunication companies to increase network capacity to cope with an expected jump in internet usage and millions of messages throughout the emergency.</p> <p>Many homes in southeast Queensland are not built to withstand cyclones, with Mr Crisafulli urging residents to listen to warnings from authorities.</p> <p>“This part of the state has had its fair share of flooding challenges and has responded well, and I genuinely believe that people will heed warnings and will do the right thing,” he said.</p> <p>SES NSW urged residents to prepare for damaging winds, large surf and heavy rainfall with major riverine and flash flooding expected from Wednesday.</p> <p>“We are asking the community to take steps now to ensure that if you are asked to evacuate you have a plan for yourselves, your families and your pets and know where you will go,” NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Dean Storey said.</p> <p>The cyclone is hundreds of kilometres off Rockhampton and is expected to travel southeast until Tuesday, when it will swing west and make its way towards land. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise</em></p>

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Jackie ‘O’ reveals her ex had a reaction to his jab

<p>Radio presenter Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed her ex-husband, Lee, suffered an adverse reaction to his second Pfizer vaccine shot.</p> <p>Henderson explained on Friday's <em>Kyle and Jackie O Show</em> that Lee had experienced the same complication as Seven News reporter Denham Hitchcock, who was hospitalised last month with pericarditis - a rare condition when the sac-like tissue surrounding the heart becomes inflamed.</p> <p>Lee, a photographer from England, has not commented on his condition, but Henderson told NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian he'd been hospitalised and was 'in a bad way'.</p> <p>‘You'd be aware what has happened to Denham Hitchcock, and my ex-husband has had the same thing. He's been in hospital and really, really in a bad way after the second Pfizer,' she said.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843955/jackie-o-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b6a25108f906408a89cd9c59b362680f" /><img style="width: 500px; height:281.29952456418386px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843955/jackie-o-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b6a25108f906408a89cd9c59b362680f" /></p> <p>Henderson added that it was 'up to [Lee] to report' his adverse reaction to the Covid-19 vaccine because the hospital doesn't automatically do it. Berejiklian, who was a guest on the KIIS FM breakfast show, said she wasn't aware of Lee's condition but emphasised that health authorities do put out a statement whenever someone has an adverse reaction to the jab.</p> <p>Henderson, who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, acknowledged that in many cases doctors aren't 'a hundred per cent sure' pericarditis is caused by the jab.</p> <p>She also stressed that she is 'pro-vax'.</p> <p>The former couple, who share 10-year-old daughter Kitty, amicably separated in late 2018 and are understood to have recently finalised their divorce.</p> <p>Lee is not believed to have any underlying health conditions. He is a martial arts enthusiast who is known to keep fit and active. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

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Psycho turns 60 – Hitchcock’s famous fright film broke all the rules

<p>November 1959. Film director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Alfred Hitchcock</a> is at his commercial and critical peak after the successes of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052357/?ref_=nm_knf_i2">Vertigo</a> (1958) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125/?ref_=nm_knf_i3">North by Northwest</a> (1959). So what does he do next? A black-and-white made-for-TV movie hastily shot, with no big-name actors and a leading actress who takes a shower, and … well, we’ll come to that.</p> <p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/?ref_=nm_knf_i1">Psycho</a> (1960) remains Hitchcock’s most celebrated film. But it is really two films, glued together by the most iconic scene in cinema history.</p> <p>Part one is a run-of-the-mill morality tale. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her Phoenix employee, and goes on the run. Guilt-stricken, she pulls into a deserted motel and chats with the owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).</p> <p>He seems friendly enough – he makes her sandwiches and talks fondly about his mother – and Marion resolves to return the money.</p> <p>Part two is a whodunnit. Marion’s sister (Vera Miles) and her lover (John Gavin) investigate her disappearance, and trace her steps back to the motel. Soon, they begin to have suspicions about Norman.</p> <p>‘She just goes … a little mad sometimes.’</p> <p><strong>Thriller with a twist</strong></p> <p>A few years earlier, Hitchcock had watched Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1955 psychological masterpiece <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046911/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Les Diaboliques</a> and sought out a similar project – a horrific thriller with a twist ending. He read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156427.Psycho">Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho</a> – itself inspired by the real-life <a href="https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/ed-gein">Wisconsin killer Ed Gein</a> – and optioned the film rights.</p> <p>Audiences saw things in Psycho that had never been shown before on screen. A toilet flushing. A murderer who goes unpunished. A post-coital Leigh, lying on a bed, dressed only in white underwear, while Gavin stands topless over her.</p> <p>All of Hitchcock’s trademark obsessions are on show: voyeurism, the dominant matriarchal figure, the blonde heroine, the untrustworthy cop.</p> <p>Over his career, Hitchcock had always flouted Hollywood’s <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93301189">Production Code</a>, those rigid rules that had been in place since the 1930s that prohibited onscreen nudity, sex and violence. Nowhere is Hitchcock’s brazen censor-defying clearer than in Psycho’s “shower scene”.</p> <p>Marion steps into the shower, a shadowy figure rips back the curtain, and cinema’s most visceral scene unspools, brutally, before our very eyes.</p> <p>Hitchcock, the master of suspense, never actually shows knife slicing flesh. Everything is implied, through liberal doses of chocolate sauce, hacked watermelons, Bernard Herrmann’s screeching violins, and Leigh’s blood-curdling screams.</p> <p>In one 60-second scene, Hitchcock shatters all the rules. It’s the most famous of all bait and switches: you expect one thing, but get another. Up to that point, no film had killed off its lead character so early in the story (nowadays, such an audacious twist shows up everywhere, from The Lion King to Games of Thrones). As Leigh slides down the blinding white tiles, arm outstretched, a new kind of cinema is born: twisted, shocking, primal.</p> <p><strong>Inventing the cinema event</strong></p> <p>Hitchcock famously ordered cinemas to not let any latecomers into screenings of Psycho, to keep the element of surprise.</p> <p>Previously, cinema-goers could wander into a film midway through, watch the last half, and then stick around for the restart to catch up on what they had missed. When your leading lady is butchered 45 minutes in, the film makes little sense if you arrive late – hence Hitchcock’s decree.</p> <p>While the reviews at the time of its cinema release were lukewarm, cinema as an “event”, as a communal experience shared by hundreds of people in the dark, began. There were queues around the blocks in cities across America as word of mouth grew. Grossing US$32 million (equivalent to A$468 million today) off a budget of US$800,000 (A$12 million today), Psycho made Hitchcock a very wealthy man.</p> <p>Other elements contributed to Psycho’s enduring influence. Saul Bass’s opening credits, all intersecting lines and sans-serif titles, anticipate the film’s fixation with duality and overlap.</p> <p>Budget constraints meant that Bernard Herrmann could only rely on his orchestra’s string section. Even people who have never seen the film instantly recognise his score.</p> <p>And Anthony Perkins, typecast forever after as the nervous mother’s boy with a dark secret, crafts a performance that is both sweetly disarming and deeply unsettling.</p> <p><strong>Psycho sequels</strong></p> <p>Its reputation has only grown since 1960. Critics and audiences remain transfixed by Psycho’s storytelling verve and its queasy tonal shifts (murder mystery to black comedy to horror).</p> <p><a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turner-prize-1996/turner-prize-1996-artists-douglas-gordon">Douglas Gordon’s 1993 art installation 24 Psycho</a> slowed the film down to last a full day.</p> <p>Douglas Gordon’s 24 Psycho (1993) video installation pays homage to every frame of the film.</p> <p>Academics have had a field day too, from <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=qx9dDwAAQBAJ&amp;lpg=PA4&amp;ots=3sAjXQ_r40&amp;dq=Raymond%20Durgnat%20micro-analysis%20psycho&amp;pg=PP1#v=onepage&amp;q=Raymond%20Durgnat%20micro-analysis%20psycho&amp;f=false">Raymond Durgnat’s lengthy micro-analysis</a> to <a href="https://egs.edu/biography/slavoj-zizek/">Slavoj Žižek</a>’s reading of Bates’s house as an illustration of Freud’s concept of the id, ego and superego.</p> <p>Three progressively sillier sequels were made, as well as a colour <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155975/?ref_=vp_back">shot-for-shot remake </a>by Gus van Sant in 1998. Brian De Palma’s entire back catalogue pays homage to Hitchcock, with whole sections of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070698/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_30">Sisters</a> (1972) to <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080661/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_24">Dressed to Kill</a> (1980) reworking Psycho’s delirious excesses.</p> <p>Psycho’s box office success undoubtedly contributed to Hollywood’s abiding fascination with true-crime stories, serial killers, and slasher films.</p> <p>More recently, the TV prequel series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2188671/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Bates Motel</a> ran for four seasons, deepening Norman’s relationship with his mother and tracking his developing mental illness.</p> <p>That series provides a set up for the events at the Bates Motel. Sixty years on, the setting for Psycho continues to exert such a pulsating thrill, even as we watch from behind the sofa.</p> <p><em>Written by Ben McCann. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/psycho-turns-60-hitchcocks-famous-fright-film-broke-all-the-rules-140175">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

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