Millions of people are finalising preparations before South-East Queensland shuts down as Tropical Cyclone Alfred looms.
Schools across the region will be closed on Thursday and Friday, and public transport will be suspended from Wednesday night.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has also advised people to avoid travelling on roads on Thursday and Friday, and vessels have been banned from the water between Double Island and Coolangatta.
Major bridges are set to close if wind gusts reach 90km/h.
Alfred is expected to make landfall late on Thursday or early Friday between the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.
It will mark the first time a cyclone has hit the southeast coast since Cyclone Zoe struck in 1974.
Alfred is set to bring heavy rain, flash flooding, destructive winds and storm surges at its height, with wild weather expected from Wednesday.
People have begun fleeing their homes with about 70 evacuations from South Stradbroke Island, where the eye of the cyclone is set to loom early on Friday.
Evacuation centres are opening across the region but residents have been urged to stay with family or friends if they can.
Nambour Showgrounds and Noosa Leisure Centre are now operating for the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas.
Hundreds of emergency services are doorknocking high-risk areas, warning residents to leave, with the cyclone’s arrival likely to coincide with a Friday morning high tide.
Hundreds of emergency services are doorknocking high-risk areas, warning residents to leave, with the cyclone’s arrival likely to coincide with a Friday morning high tide.
“We don’t go forcibly drag people out of their homes … police will go around and say to people ‘you need to leave your home now’,” Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.
“Those people who don’t leave their homes … that puts you, your family and us in a really dangerous situation.”
Aged care facilities in low-lying areas are being evacuated on Wednesday and authorities are working to accommodate the region’s homeless.
The federal government has initiated defence force assistance with heavy-lift helicopters pre-positioned in Bundaberg and Coffs Harbour.
“This is a rare event to have a tropical cyclone in an area that is not classified as part of the tropics,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Flood releases are likely at Queensland’s Somerset and Wivenhoe dams in the next two days due to Alfred, with several ungated dams already spilling.
Flights are expected to be affected but Brisbane and Sunshine Coast airports on Wednesday said they were operating as normal while monitoring Alfred’s approach.
“Sunshine Coast Airport is currently operating as normal however we are actively monitoring Tropical Cyclone Alfred as it moves towards the coast,” it posted.
“We will continue provide updates as the situation changes. We advise passengers who are flying in and out of Sunshine Coast Airport over the coming days to continue to monitor the status of their flight.”
TMR said public buses and trains would be suspended after the final service on Wednesday until further notice.
It expects impacts to roads and bridges due to flooding and/or high winds, and said members of the public should avoid travelling on roads Thursday and Friday.
Maritime Safety Queensland advised that Seek/Take Shelter alert had been issued from 2pm Wednesday, meaning no vessels are permitted on waterways from Double Island Point to Point Danger until further notice.
