Queensland begins repairs following cyclone Alfred

Cyclone Alfred spent the weekend toying with Queenslanders, gently reaching the Gold Coast and causing havoc before needing a quick spell for the hangover and then going on to flatten the remainder of SEQ.

Fallen tree in NW Brisbane suburbs (Nikon Zf 40mm F2, edited colour to taste)

With Alfred's brief pause after making landfall many locals thought they had been spared to worst of the category 2 cyclone, some even speculating that it was a ruse created by supermarkets and hardware stores to increase sales. Just as those living further from the coast were getting ready to return their mountains of toilet paper and release their backup bathwater Alfred stumbled its way out of the Gold Coast wreaking havoc along the way, which is a known phenomenon of GC weekends. Alas unlike the sneaky taxi spew Alfred was a bit more forceful causing localised flooding, knocking down trees and destroying houses; 340,000 homes were left without power following the second slapping by Alfred.

At the time of writing (11 Mar 25) a solid 106,000 homes remain without power many finding nearby cafes, fast food restaurants or neighbours to seek shelter from the heat, recharge phones, shower or simply even to eat. Cafes in the Moreton Bay region with electricity have been offering extended hours, allowing for those in need to get real food and a good coffee, before making their way though the slowly receding water to their darkened homes. Cafe 63 has been particularly helpful to Paper Dead News as the traditional blackout food of chunky canned soup does not always nourish the soul. Energex employees likely deserve recognition here too, working tirelessly to restore power to over 200,000 homes so far, while dealing with some pretty rubbish conditions and very late nights.

The ADF prematurely sent soldiers from Brisbane's 7th Brigade to Lismore NSW during the peak of cyclone Alfred (a decision which seems rather stupid) resulting in the heavily reported crash of military vehicles and the loss of a platoon due to injury. Despite the media hype ADF reports that all but 2 members had been released from hospital in the last 3 days and have recently edited their information which now precludes the mention of the 2 remaining in hospital.

Peter Dutton MP gives the finger to his Dickson electorate as cyclone Alfred approached and fled to Sydney for a party, or fundraising event as he described the situation, no doubt serving caviar to his owner Gina Rinehart while potentially alienating his 110,000 Moreton Bay voters. Labour was quick to jump on this absence releasing a video of their own MP (singular) shovelling sand into sandbags while also vastly outnumbered by a sea of Greens in the background also assisting their community.

Lazy dogs love a lazy cyclone (Nikon Zf 28mm f2.8, converted to B/W shadows lifted)

Some home owners in the Moreton Bay Area have shown that insurance prices have surged in recent months, with simple 4 bedroom houses requiring up to $23,000 per year for home insurance. With many other comparable insurance companies outright denying cover to the owners, it is unknown if this price gouging situation is related to cyclone Alfred though it doesn't bode well for those who will need to file claims following the disaster, nor does it help with ongoing cost of living and housing crisis.