With tens of thousands of residents across the east coast still clearing up their homes in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the tales of survival and hope are slowly starting to emerge.
Despite damaged homes and cars, power outages, flooded roads, gouged-out beaches and empty supermarket shelves, the stories of locals pitching in to help one another are providing hope to those impacted.
The system, which was initially feared to be a Category 2 cyclone, was downgraded to a tropical low when it arrived on the mainland late on March 8.
It crossed land between Brisbane and Maroochydore but its impact was far-reaching, causing severe winds, flooding, and erosion to more than 500 kilometers of coastline between Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Coffs Harbour, NSW.
Sadly, a 61-year-old man from northern NSW died in the floodwaters after his ute was swept away.
A serious crash involving 32 Australian Defence Force personnel in Lismore also left six soldiers with serious injuries. At the time of going to press, one person remains in hospital.
Sunrise host Matt Shirvington, who led Channel Seven’s cyclone coverage on the Gold Coast, says he saw the best of humanity among the devastation.
“I don’t think I’ve been more connected to the people of the Gold Coast than I have in the last few weeks,” Shirvo, 46, tells New Idea.
“You get a feeling of how people are on the ground, what their concerns are … people didn’t know how things were going to hold up. You really got a sense of that fear.”
Shirvo says he valued hearing the stories of locals and tourists, who had to cancel their plans and wait out the cyclone.
“There were people that were stuck, like one poor lady whose father’s funeral was on the Friday and unfortunately couldn’t go ahead,” he says.
“There was a family from Adelaide whose outside wedding plans had to be changed … there was a family from Melbourne that had traveled for a celebration and the kids were locked inside for five days.
“It was just this idea that – with lives at risk for a long period of time – everyone’s preparations have avoided a significant amount of potential harm.”
Shirvo says he stayed in touch with his wife Jessica and their three children, who were back in Sydney, throughout the event.
“They were a little bit concerned … and happy I’m home,” he says.
“There were definitely moments when the wind was blowing hard and you’re watching the trees sway, and you think, anything could happen here. But the idea of getting the story told was the greatest motivation.”
While it is too early to tell the true cost of Alfred’s damage, the last cyclone to hit Australia, Tropical Cyclone Jasper in 2023, cost $409 million from around 10,500 insurance claims.
At the time of going to press, there has already been more than 34,000 claims with the Insurance Council of Australia declaring Alfred as an “Insurance Catastrophe”.
The Gold Coast is expected to have more than $1.8 billion in clean-up costs alone, with local mayor, Tom Tate declaring the city as facing the “largest disaster recovery in its history”.
The most expensive cyclone to hit Australia remains Cyclone Tracy in 1974 which incurred $7.4 billion in claims (as of 2023 values).
Help remains available to thousands of residents, including grants for emergency hardship assistance, essential household contents, and essential services for safety and reconnection.
Workers in 31 affected areas in South East Queensland and northern NSW will also be eligible for financial support through the Disaster Recovery Allowance.
Visit the Services Australia website to find out what support you may be eligible for or call the Australian Government Emergency Information Line on 180 22 66.
CYCLONE ALFRED BY THE NUMBERS
- More than 450,000 homes and businesses were without power in QLD and NSW
- Peak gusts of 120 km/h recorded at Byron Bay
- More than 1.1 metres of rainfall recorded at Upper Springbrook
- 12.3 metres was the highest wave recorded at Main Beach, Gold Coast
- 1200 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed
- 7,062 incidents responded to by NSW SES
- More than 1.5 million sandbags distributed
