Millions of people have been instructed to stay indoors as Cyclone Alfred is expected to move over the Queensland coast in the morning hours.
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00:00It's a threat not seen here in a generation. Ferocious winds ripping massive trees from
00:09their roots on the Gold Coast. The consequences, devastating, with homes crushed by falling
00:15branches. Tens of thousands are without power and fearing what's still to come.
00:21I'm not looking forward to tonight because we've got like windows all around.
00:26Scott Maxwell was lucky to escape uninjured when a huge tree fell on his Corumban home.
00:32I woke up at 2 o'clock this morning with a loud thud and the whole house shook.
00:37The savage conditions taking even experienced hands off guard.
00:42I'm used to cyclones. I come from Magnetic Island, North Queensland, so KBV 5. I wasn't
00:48worried about KBV 2. It's a bit of a...
00:53The Gold Coast's famous beaches, unrecognisable. Massive swells are gouging chunks out of the
00:59coastline, leaving a jagged wall of sand with a breathtaking drop.
01:05We're all quiet. We're just, I think we're all in awe of what's happening right now.
01:09Unbelievable what nature can do.
01:11Structures now left exposed to the elements and some hinterland roads are starting to
01:16go under.
01:19This lot will need a shower before they bunker down, potentially for a while.
01:24It's possible that we're going to ask people to shelter for 24 to 36 hours.
01:29One of the nation's most built up regions is at the mercy of tropical cyclone Alfred.
01:35The storm's slow progress allowing for final walks and preparations in Brisbane this morning.
01:41After an agonising wait, most just want to see the back of it.
01:45Now we're breathing deeply because the pause is, just adds a little bit more pressure.
01:51We've both not been through anything like this before.
01:54The power's probably the main concern.
01:56City life has ground to a halt. The streets are mostly empty.
02:00Humans rally in times of crisis and people really, really have.
02:06Potential projectiles have been corralled. Families are ready.
02:10It's like you're waiting for a meal to come to the table and you're just sitting there
02:13waiting.
02:14As tropical cyclone Alfred moves across the Moreton Bay Islands overnight, it's expected
02:18to weaken from a Category 2 to a Category 1 system before crossing the mainland tomorrow
02:24morning.
02:25This will mean that destructive winds are unlikely for Brisbane itself, but damaging
02:30wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour are expected.
02:34While Alfred's slow pace has given South East Queensland time to prepare, it comes with
02:40a sting in the tail.
02:42Authorities say it could take the tropical cyclone anywhere between six to nine hours
02:46to cross the coast. In the process, it could dump life-threatening and dangerous flooding
02:52rains on low-lying areas.
02:55Rainfall totals for the event could reach 800 millimetres in some areas.
03:01In this case, it is really large and slow moving and that does represent the prospect
03:06of some significant rainfall.
03:08It could potentially exceed the levels we saw in the 2022 flood and so if that is not
03:13a reason to take this seriously, I don't know what is.
03:16Authorities expect to release water from the region's main dams in the coming days.
03:22Islands just off the coast are already being pounded.
03:25It's coming now, you can feel it, it's in the air.
03:28It'll be a sleepless night for many with more to come as the expected flood disaster unfolds.