Pacific families in Queensland brace for Cyclone Alfred

Fijians Laisenia and Mili have just moved into their new home on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

It's been three months of settling in for the couple and their two children, who migrated to Australia from Christchurch about 10 years ago.

This week, they learn that an intense storm is heading their way, and they may need to consider shuttering up and bunkering down in their home or heading to family in Sydney.

Australia’s east coast braces for impact as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches, set to make landfall on the Sunshine State on Thursday.

Damaging winds, dangerous surf, and widespread flooding are set to threaten parts of Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Four million residents have been warned as the category two storm is forecast to reach the major cities.

But in May 2022, 13 people died in devastating floods, with 23,400 properties affected in all but 11 of Brisbane's 188 suburbs. Pontoon debris was found as far away as K'gari (Fraser Island) and Noosa (Sunshine Coast), while Moreton Bay was shrouded in a plume of mud for weeks.

"It's quite frustrating but more frightening for our children to know that we have this extreme storm coming our way and there's nothing much anyone can do to stop it," Laisenia, 56, tells local media.

"And the thought that our new home could be damaged due to this cyclone is even more stressful.

"Residents are trying to keep calm and not panic as we have seen here and in Brisbane, where people are rushing to the shops to stock up on supplies."

The Pacific cyclone season runs from November to April.

Authorities in Brisbane report that 20,000 buildings in the city are at risk of inundation from storm surge or flooding as TC Alfred continues towards the populated south-east Queensland coast.

The impact ranges from minor yard inundation to devastating home floods, with areas most at risk including Nudgee Beach, Brighton, Windsor, Ashgrove, Morningside, Rocklea, Coopers Plains, Carina, Sandgate, Hemmant, Lota, Tingalpa, Indooroopilly, Albion, Bardon, and Wynnum West.

The Bureau of Meteorological (BOM) warns that peak storm surges might hit starting Thursday, urging residents in these areas to secure their homes and properties and move to evacuation centres.

David Crisafulli, the Queensland Premier, says the storm is forecast to maintain its intensity as it approaches the coast at high tide late on Thursday.

Watch Premier David Crisafulli's message to Queenslanders as Australia's Sunshine State prepares for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

"We are facing the potential that a cyclone could, in fact, cross the coast on high tide in the middle of the night, and we're asking Queenslanders to prepare for that," Crisafulli says during a press conference after meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Brisbane on Wednesday.

A frenzy of supermarket buying unfolds, with residents queueing up as early as Monday to stock up on food and supplies.

Ryan Allen, a Wellingtonian who flew to Brisbane on Tuesday for the now-cancelled Greenday concert, says the supermarket shelves resemble Covid-19 times.

"Bottled water and bread shelves were bare, which was quite an eerie feeling, actually," he told RNZ.

Supermarket shelves have been left empty as residents rush to buy supplies. Photo/Supplied

Schools across Queensland close on Thursday, and public transport suspends operations on Thursday and Friday. Elective surgeries are also cancelled for both days.

Updated tracking maps show Alfred maintaining its intensity, speed and likely path - 345 kilometres east of Brisbane and 315km east of the Gold Coast and moving west towards the south-east Queensland coast at 16km/h.

It's still on track to reach the Australian coastline around 1am (local time) on Friday, likely somewhere between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane as a category-two storm, potentially crossing just south of Brisbane.

High tides expected in the early hours of Friday will raise concerns for those in coastal communities.

It's sandbagging time in Brisbane as residents prepare for Cyclone Alfred. Photo/Supplied

The Fifitas, a Tongan family from Auckland, are taking the weather warnings seriously. Father Sione, 65, tells local media they have secured their three-bedroom home in Redbank, Brisbane, and will prepare to hunker down for Alfred.

"We are praying that our family and home are not affected by this cyclone. We have grandchildren here, too, and it will be scary for them.

"We didn't send them to school today because we weren't sure if it was safe. You know, these weather patterns can change anytime. The cyclone could hit us today!

"People across Queensland should be okay because we have been alerted early on what to do and not to do, so I think parents and guardians should ensure their young ones are safe."

While the Rakais and Fifitas don't plan to head back across the ditch, other Kiwis are doing just that. Media reports suggest many New Zealanders are changing their flights to get out before Cyclone Alfred hits.

Brisbane Airport remains open, and Air New Zealand says it is monitoring the cyclone and offering travellers the option of changing their flights.

Brisbane Airport remains open ahead of Cyclone Alfred. Photo/RNZ