Australia tells thousands to evacuate as tropical cyclone Alfred nears

Sydney [Australia], March 8: Australia ordered thousands of people in its eastern regions to evacuate before Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit land on Saturday, as the storm brought heavy rain, huge waves and strong winds that cut off power, swamped beaches and shut airports.
Alfred's slow progress toward the coast fed concern it could bring a prolonged period of heavy rain and is expected to hit land as a Category 2 storm north of Brisbane, Australia's third-most populous city, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
"The evacuation centres are a last resort," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told a news conference on Friday, adding that dozens had been opened.
Wind gusts of more than 100 kph (62 mph) lashed the coastal regions of Queensland and New South Wales states overnight.
The storm moved slowly west 120 km (75 miles) from Brisbane and 85 kilometres (53 miles) from the tourist city Gold Coast, the weather bureau said.
It brought turmoil that snapped power links to more than 80,000 homes across the two states, electricity firms said, around half of them in Gold Coast.
Brisbane Airport shut operations on Thursday, and the city suspended public transport. More than 1,000 schools in southeast Queensland and 280 in northern New South Wales have been closed.
Source: Emirates News Agency