How to prepare for Cyclone Alfred

You can sign up to Brisbane City Council’s Severe Weather Alerts at the council website.

You can also sign up to the council’s Emergency Dashboard, which links to weather warnings.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest warnings are available on its website and social media posts.

Brisbane City Council has released a map showing the areas most at risk. The map can be accessed on Brisbane City Council’s emergency dashboard here.

Tune into local radio stations as well for updates.

Sandbags

Temporary sandbag stations are open from 10.30am on Thursday:

• Acacia Ridge: 174 Mortimer Road
• Toowong: Former Toowong Bowls Club, corner Gailey Road and Heroes Avenue
• Camp Hill: 258 Boundary Road
• Boondall: Boondall Entertainment Centre, 1 Melaleuca Drive
• West End: Davies Park
• Darra: Atthows Park
• Murarrie: Murarrie Recreation Reserve

Sandbags can reduce flooding by diverting floodwater away from your premises.

Sinks and toilets can also back-flood during flooding and sandbags can help stop this. The bags should only ever be half filled so they can be moulded to shape.

Place bags on a layer of plastic sheeting and build them up like brickwork. Stagger the rows so joins don’t line up, and make sure the empty part of the bag is covered by the next bag.

They can be used in front of doorways, roller doors and brickwork vents. Build a small sandbag wall away from the actual doorway so it can be accessed.

Used sandbags cannot be returned to collection stations and must be disposed of at transfer stations.

General preparation

• Remove and pack away loose items from yards, roofs and decks.
• Check the condition of your roof and perform repairs if needed.
• Clear gutters and pipes to allow drainage.
• Close windows, shutters and draw curtains.
• Park vehicles undercover or cover firmly with blankets against hail damage.
• Park caravans and trailers under shelter, apply brakes, chock wheels and take down any awnings. Attach firmly to the ground with ropes or netting.
• Clear overhanging branches close to your home.
• Disassemble trampolines and bring inside.
• Bring pets safely inside.
• Check on your neighbours and ask if they know a warning has been issued.

• Stock up on bottled water, or fill bottles and buckets.
• Fill your bathtub with water for flushing the toilet in the event of loss of water connection.
• Move valuables and electrical items and store any poison and chemicals well above ground level.
• Locate the strongest and safest room away from windows if possible, or cover windows with mattresses.
• Secure plastic sheeting to the inside of windows to prevent rain damage.
• Check your insurance policy to ensure you are covered.
• Shutdown rooftop solar power systems. Turn the AC mains isolator off first, and then also to turn off the photovoltaic (PV) array DC isolator, or follow installers’ shutdown procedures. For more information check Energex.

If a flood is coming, have a plan to leave early, checking for road closures before you leave.

Consider leaving for a safer place, taking your emergency kit and anything needed to manage your health or disability. Advise family and friends of your location.

More information is available at Queensland government’s Get Ready Queensland site.

Blackouts

If safe to do so, ensure your home safety switch hasn’t been activated.

If you have a barbecue, be sure to have gas in your cylinder to enable cooking during a blackout.

A full petrol tank, or fully charged EV battery, will enable you to charge phones and other items using your vehicle. Fill jerry cans with fuel and store safely.

Energex has an outage finder with updates on power interruptions and when power is expected to be restored. You can also call Energex on 13 62 62.

Locate and be ready to disconnect or shut down your gas, electricity, solar power and water services if instructed.

If you lose power, be sure to turn off appliances, fans, heaters, etc, in case power comes back on in your absence.

Transfer perishable food such as meats into the freezer. A full freezer of frozen food will stay colder for longer than a half-empty one.

Keep the fridge and freezer door shut. If possible, obtain ice for an esky and transfer perishable food into it.

Stay at least 10 metres away from powerlines that have been damaged after severe weather.

More information can be found here.

Emergency kits

An emergency kit should contain:

• torches and extra batteries
• a first aid kit
• drinking water for three days
• non-perishable food such as tinned food and muesli bars
• a portable, battery-operated radio (search ABC Radio frequencies here)
• tools, scissors and food utensils
• waterproof gloves
• toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes
• essential medications
• can opener
• important documents
• sealable waterproof bags
• extra clothes and bedding
• entertainment items (cards, boardgames, colouring/drawing, books)

Get alerts on significant breaking news as happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.