Tropical Cyclone Alfred is approaching Australia’s east coast, bringing destructive winds up to 100 mph. Residents are urged to evacuate and prepare for potential flooding and prolonged impacts.

Cyclone Alfred causes mass evacuations and power outages across Queensland and New South Wales as authorities respond to the disaster.- Watch Video on English Oneindia

Brisbane airport was closed as the centre of Alfred is expected to cross the coast very early Saturday morning, most likely between Noosa and Coolangatta of Queensland accordinng to Australia's Bureau

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Early wind and rain from a rare tropical cyclone began lashing part of eastern Australia on Thursday as schools were closed, public transport was stopped and desperate residents got around shortages of sandbags by buying potting mix.

“If we accumulate those rainfall totals over that three-day period, it is highly likely that we will see isolated areas of 700mm or so. As you can imagine, this is likely to cause riverine flooding through south-east Queensland,” Oates said.

With Tropical Cyclone Alfred set to make landfall, being the first to do so in over 50 years, torrential rain and winds above 125 kilometres per hour are set to shortly follow.

A cyclone is heading for a densely populated part of Australia's coast for the first time in 50 years. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to U-turn towards southeast Queensland, before crossing the coast later in the week.