Cyclone Alfred brings flood threat, emergency response ramps up

THE Fire and Rescue strike teams will be on standby to conduct flood rescues over the next few days, when it is expected there will be a heightened level of activity in line with weather forecasts.

One of the teams will be based at Lismore with a Major Flood Watch issued for the Wilsons River.

Cyclone Alfred is forecast to maintain category 2 intensity as it approaches the south-east Queensland coast on Thursday.

Heavy rainfall is forecast for south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales from Thursday.

Heavy to locally intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding may occur near and south of the cyclone centre as Cyclone Alfred approaches the coast.

Fire and Rescue NSW acting assistant commissioner Graham Kingsland, said the impacted communities should feel reassured by the presence of water rescue technicians.

The team has new rescue boats that can be rolled up and packed to enable helicopter deployment to locations isolated by floodwater.

“We’ve learned from past flood events and adapted our approach to make sure the best resources and support is available when it’s most needed,” Mr Kingsland said.

“The rescue boats, vehicles and wetsuits being utilised are all new, a result of FRNSW’s capability uplift and recommendations of the 2022 NSW Flood Inquiry.”

A warning is currently in place for the Byron Coast and all beaches in the region.

Surf Life Saving NSW deputy president Joel Wiseman is urging the public to exercise caution if they are near the coast.

“Our surf clubs in the north of the state are preparing for surf conditions that are predicted to be more than five metres in height, and we will be proactively monitoring for both coastal erosion and potential inundation of low-lying club facilities,” he said.

“As such clubs across the Far North Coast and North Coast will be reviewing their patrolling ahead of the weekend and will likely scale back to surveillance patrols.”

Meanwhile, the Northern Rives SES Unit has delivered more than 200,000 sandbags to the region during the week.

The demand for sandbags was particularly high in the Tweed and Lismore region.

The NSW Department of Education announced the closure of 122 schools, and several independent schools were also closed.

Byron Shire Council has also cancelled bin collections tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday.

It will make up these collections next week, servicing all bins (red, yellow and green) next Thursday and Friday for those that miss out this week.

Byron Resource Recovery Centre will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

Evacuation centres across the region will be open from this afternoon.

A list of locations can be found at ses.nsw.gov.au/during-an-emergency/evacuation-centres

For a list of self-fill sandbag locations throughout the region, visit ses.nsw.gov.au/sandbag-locations

Residents can still download the Hazards Near Me App and set up ‘Watch Zones’ to receive warnings in real time.

For emergency assistance during a flood, storm or tsunami, call the NSW SES on 132 500.

In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

People are also encouraged to NSW SES for an update of the current conditions surrounding Cyclone Alfred via a Microsoft Teams link, which has been running nightly at 6pm.

The meeting can be accessed via https://tinyurl.com/mrytuedy.