Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and some 84,000 households left in the dark as a rare tropical cyclone approaches Australia's eastern coast.
Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall on Saturday morning between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast - known for beautiful beaches and top surf – as well as Brisbane, Australia's third-biggest city. BBC reported.
The cyclone, the first to hit the area in 50 years, is expected to land as a category two system with wind speeds of up to 130km/h.
It has already caused flooding which authorities fear could worsen over the weekend. New South Wales police said on Friday that one man was missing after his vehicle was swept into a fast-flowing river.
Four million people across Queensland and northern New South Wales are in the firing line of the storm.
But its slow progress, described by weather experts as "walking pace" and "erratic", has raised concerns of flash and riverine flooding in low-lying areas.
It is expected to dump as much as 800mm of rain in the coming days.
Stephen Valentine and his wife, who live in Logan city south of Brisbane, have prepared some 30 litres of water, food for themselves and their pets, and set up "protected rooms" in their home situated away from windows.
"At the moment we are as prepared as we can be for something that none of us have been through... Nothing has come this far south across the south," said Mr Valentine, who grew up in the city.
"We would get the edge of a cyclone ever so often, but not to this level," he added.
