Gold Coasters are being urged to take shelter at home or in a safe place tonight as Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to approach the coast.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred remains a category 2 cyclone although the latest forecast indicates it has slowed, which means we are now expecting it to cross the coast early Saturday morning, later than was previously advised.
Destructive winds of up to 155km per hour may develop early Friday as TC Alfred approaches and crosses the coast. Heavy to intense rainfalls which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is also expected.
Storm surges mixed with above average high tides has caused beach erosion.
We need everyone to stay well away from coastal areas for your own safety.
All residents and visitors are urged to check the Flood Risk Mapping which shows the potential most likely and worst-case scenarios.
If your own home is not suitable, sheltering with family or friends is always the best option if possible.
The City has three evacuation centres open at the moment:
- Runaway Bay Indoor Stadium, Sports Drive, Runaway Bay
- Burleigh Waters Community Centre, 111 Christine Ave, Burleigh Waters
- Pimpama Sports Hub, 139 Rifle Range Road, Pimpama
You can bring your pets with you, but they will be kept in a separate location and cared for by Animal Management.
We urge people to ensure they have basic toiletries, medication, personal identification and other documents, a change of clothes, sleeping bag or blanket, water bottle, snacks and light meals, games and toys for their kids, and charges and power banks.
All beaches are closed. Stay away from the beach and waterways.
The City is experiencing hazardous surf conditions, with abnormally high tides.
The following City facilities are closed until at least Monday 10 March:
- Parks and playgrounds
- Sporting venues not being used as evacuation centres
- All aquatic centres
- All libraries
- Community centres that are not being used for evacuation centres
- All customer service centres
- Waste and Recycling Centres and landfills
Waste collection is also suspended across the City until Monday 10 March.
- Do not put your bins out, secure them safely.
- We will return on your next scheduled collection date.
- We will be locating skip bins in areas that missed their collections due to TC Alfred when it's safe to do so, as an option for excess waste.
Support services are available if you need to talk to someone about the social impacts of natural disasters, on 13 11 14 or visit Support services for natural disasters
We urge everyone to stay up to date by visiting the City's Disaster and Emergency Dashboard at dashboard.cityofgoldcoast.com.au.
