Sydney: Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) announced on Saturday morning that tropical cyclone Alfred has in the last hour weakened back to a tropical low pressure system and is now considered an ex-tropical cyclone, though more homes and premises in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) are suffering power outages.
The Guardian Australia quoted Queensland Premier David Crisafulli in the morning as saying that a quarter of a million homes in the Australian state do not have power, as well as Gold Coast University Hospital, which is running on generators.
That’s the single biggest loss we have seen in over a decade, he added.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Saturday morning that the latest figures show there are around 43,000 premises, including homes and businesses, without power.
ABC quoted NSW’s Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe as saying that energy will be restored as soon as possible, but it may take several days before it is restored. And, in some cases, this power will be intermittent.
“The issue that we have here is that we’re still in the middle of this event, and that there is still wind and there is still extreme rain,” she said.
ABC reported on Friday that local power suppliers’ data showed over 90,000 customers had been affected by power outages since Thursday night in the southeast Queensland and northern NSW regions.
A man went missing in floodwaters in northern NSW on Friday after his four-wheel drive was swept off a bridge. He managed to exit his vehicle and cling to a tree branch about 30 metres from the riverbank before being carried away by the floodwaters, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the ABC.
NSW Police said on Saturday morning that they had suspended the search due to weather conditions and their relative danger.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the downgrading of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred is not a reason for complacency, with the “worse to come in the hours ahead,” according to an ABC report on Saturday morning.
(IANS)
