Cyclone Alfred aftermath: Your questions answered

Have you been left with more questions than answers after Alfred caused carnage throughout Southeast Queensland? YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

• Relief payments: Are you eligible?
• Buses, waste: Lord Mayor’s update

As ex-tropical cyclone Alfred dissipates and South East Queenslanders begin to see the sunshine, residents have still been left with some lingering questions. We’ve got the answers to the key ones:

What should I do with my sandbags?

With flooding no longer a risk for a majority of residents, many have been left with the full, damp sandbags used to protect their homes.

Council’s website encourages empty sandbags to be placed in a general waste bin – however do not empty or place full sandbags in your bin.

Sand can be poured out in your home garden or lawn.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner on Tuesday advised residents whose sandbags did not come into contact with floodwaters should empty them in their garden – if possible – and keep sandbags inside their home for future use as they can be reused.

Sandbags that have come into contact with floodwaters or contaminants can be disposed of at one of your local councils’ resource recovery centres.

Please notify staff at the gate if you have contaminated sandbags so they can be disposed of safely.

Am I eligible for the Centrelink flood relief payments?

Queenslanders impacted by ex-tropical cyclone Alfred will be able to access a range of relief payments from as early as Tuesday afternoon.

State government payments of at least $180 per person will be available for eligible individuals (or $900 for families of five) who have been impacted by the weather event, with federal government support available for people who have lost income or been “adversely impacted”.

Centrelink payments will be available on Tuesday afternoon, with residents able to apply for two relief payments.

The first – the disaster relief payment – is a lump-sum payment of $1000 per adult and $400 per child is available for those who have been adversely impacted by ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

Residents can apply if anyone who has been seriously injured, if their immediate family member has been killed or missing due to the disaster, or if their main place of residence has been “destroyed or suffered massive damage”.

Local government areas so far activated for this payment: Brisbane, Fraser Coast, Gold Coast, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, City of Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast.

The second payment available on Tuesday afternoon is the disaster recovery allowance, under which workers and sole traders in impacted areas who have lost some or all of their income will be able to access up to 13 weeks of income support.

Those 16 years or older can apply and is a fortnightly payment paid at either the JobSeeker rate, or Youth Allowance rate, for up to 13 weeks from the date the recipient began losing income.

To access the funds, your income must have fallen below the average Australian weekly income as a direct result of the weather event.

Workers in 31 affected areas in southeast Queensland and northern NSW will be eligible.

State Government relief payments are also available for eligible residents.

Henry Swindon and Dylan Conway have joined the ‘ute army’. Picture: Tara Croser

How can I help people get back on their feet? Is there another mud army?

On Monday, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner put the call out for Brisbane residents to work together to set up a “Ute Army” to help with the aftermath of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

“We know that there are many people that will want to get started on cleaning up their yards with green waste,” Mr Schrinner said.

“The Brisbane City Council crews and contractors will be continuing their process of cleaning up and removing trees that have been damaged across the city. Trees on footpaths, trees in parks, trees in public areas, we will be removing those and that’s a big job.

“But we also know that many residents in their yards have green waste and material that needs to be removed as well.”

Mr Schrinner said residents would have too much to fit in their boot and green bin.

“They’ll need help. And that’s why we’re calling on the people of Brisbane that have Utes to come together and form a Ute army so that we can help people in need, get this green waste and get it recycled.” he said.

Temporary green waste satellite sites have been set up at Whites Hill Reserve, Camp Hill and the Mt Coot-tha car park at Sir Samuel Griffith Drive.

The Resource Recovery Centres at 101 Upper Kedron Road, Ferny Grove and 728 Tilley Road, Chandler will continue to accept green waste for free.

If residents are looking to offer a helping hand – or ute – council have advised to contact your local ward manager and they will put you in touch with residents who are needing that help.

Mr Schrinner also said kerbside pick-ups for residents who experienced flooding will occur next Monday to allow people to clean up right through to the weekend.

How much could insurance premiums now rise after this event?

According to the Insurance Council of Australia, it is too early to predict what impact ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its destruction will have on premiums.

The frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased in recent years and this is contributing to higher premiums.

Insurers have been calling on governments to invest more in resilience and mitigation to protect the many Australians who are living in harm’s way and improve insurance affordability and availability

However, Climate Valuation – a company with the Climate Risk Group – has raised concerns that homeowners in the affected areas may face rising insurance premiums.

Modelling by the Climate Risk Group has highlighted the risk of cyclone activity moving towards the poles, affecting homes and communities where existing infrastructure and buildings are not designed for such weather events.

“In 2023 our modelling identified this exact region of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales as being at growing risk from tropical cyclones, as warming sea temperatures drive cyclones further south. Insurers are also starting to understand these trends. It is only to be expected that insurance premiums will rise in areas where the risk of damage from cyclones increases,” Climate Risk Group CEO Dr Karl Mallon said.

A tidal surge reaches the lifeguard tower at Main Beach on the Gold Coast. Picture: David Gray/AFP

Does Brisbane and SEQ now need cyclone-proof housing?

Brisbane and much of the southeast dodged a bullet in which Cyclone Alfred crossed the mainland as a tropical low – not a category two system as initially warned in the days prior.

However, with warnings more cyclones could form and track further south, questions have been raised by experts on whether Brisbane and southeast need cyclone-proof housing.

Prior to Cyclone Alfred becoming a tropical low, Dr Mallon said homes in the region were not built to “withstand high intensity storms”.

“We’re fortunate that Cyclone Alfred (was) only a Category 2 storm. However our modelling suggests that higher intensity cyclones are increasingly likely for these areas and should they hit, the damage will be devastating.

“Homes in these regions simply aren’t built to withstand high intensity storms like these,” Dr Mallon said.

“These results are a wake-up call for governments to start understanding this risk, change building codes and invest in adaptation measures to protect people and property.”

Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO Andrew Gissing said there would be an opportunity to do detailed engineering studies to identify if there was value in enhancing wind standards for any areas impacted by Alfred.

“Anybody can actually design a fortress, which is pretty robust against a lot of things, it’s also about the whether or not these things are actually affordable and practicable to do,” he said.

“It’s important to make sure that we’re engineering to events which are possible, but maybe rare.”

How long will the beaches take to return to normal?

The Gold Coast’s mayor has pledged the holiday strip will be open for business by Easter as recovery efforts get underway now weather conditions have cleared.

On Monday, Mayor Tom Tate surveyed the city’s damage by air, including inspecting the A-line wall on the city’s beaches which held despite the heavy surf pounding it after the now-ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred starting impacting the coastline late Friday.

Cyclone Alfred gouged millions of cubic metres of sand from about 500 kilometres of coastline between Coffs Harbour in NSW and the Sunshine Coast, however the Gold Coast copped the brunt of the coastal erosion with waves in excess of 12 metres during the event.

Main Beach at Surfers Paradise was destroyed by coastal erosion, while other beaches have escarpments of 4m to 6m.

“The Gold Coast and, as the premier said, Queensland will be ready to make sure we welcome back Aussie tourists for the April holidays so we don’t face economic disaster as a result of Alfred.

“And it will be a proud moment we can put all the jigsaw puzzle back and as good as ever,” Mr Tate said.

Is there any more rain on the way (long-term forecast) and will it affect the current flooding?

The worst of the rainfall is likely over for the south east with Premier David Crisafulli on Tuesday reassuring residents the weather conditions were easing.

“The rainfall is easing, rivers are receding and the threat of heavy rainfall is disappearing,” he said.

Sky News Australia meteorologist Rob Sharpe said flooding remains in place across landscapes, but most are “pretty much at their peak right now or are dropping”.

“Meanwhile the south-east of Queensland after heavy storms yesterday morning, we’re now back to showers… so nothing all that major, just an annoying little bit of wet weather around that may hamper some of the clean-up efforts today,” Mr Sharpe said.

According to the Bureau, Brisbane over the next seven days will see warm, partly cloudy weather, with the chance of a shower or two on some days.

How does it compare to the 2022 floods?

While several locations throughout the southeast copped intense rainfall, the devastation was not to the extent of the Brisbane 2022 floods – despite recording it’s wettest day in half a century.

Residents who were subject to flooding in their homes throughout the Brisbane and surrounding areas said while the water rose to concerning levels, it was not as a high as the 2022 floods.

Overnight on Sunday, rain and thunderstorms brought widespread falls of 200-400mm across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim, and the Lockyer Valley.

This included a total of 275.2mm in Brisbane’s main gauge in the 24 hours to 9am Monday, making it the city’s wettest day in half a century.

Bureau of Meteorology totals from 9am Wednesday include 471mm at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane Airport saw 355mm and Coolangatta recorded 487mm.

However, in the Brisbane 2022 floods, Brisbane and surrounding areas saw four-day totals of more than 800mm, these include:

Brisbane City: 740.8mm (167 years of data)

Brisbane Airport: 647.8mm (76 years of data)

Redcliffe: 873.6mm (44 years of data)

Amberley: 563.6mm (73 years of data)

Logan City: 452.5mm (31 years of data)

For the Brisbane River catchment, an area average of 444.6 mm of rain fell from February 25-28, 2022.

However added destruction from Alfred included damaging winds to some parts of the coastline, as well as severe erosion on southeast beaches.

Police cordons stop traffic after power lines fell across a road in Brisbane. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

I have lots of tree branches and debris in my back yard. Are there free tip services or collections?

To assist residents in the clean-up from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, free green waste disposal is currently available at four resource recovery centres.

The resource recovery centres are open from 6.30am to 5.45pm every day, located at:

• Chandler – 728 Tilley Rd
• Ferny Grove – 101 Upper Kedron Rd
• Nudgee – 1372 Nudgee Rd
• Willawong – 360 Sherbrooke Rd

Temporary green waste satellite sites have been set up at Whites Hill Reserve, Camp Hill and the Mt Coot-tha car park at Sir Samuel Griffith Drive.

There is also a green waste disposal site at 17-25 Giles Rd, Redland Bay, Logan residents are able to dispose of green waste at the following facilities free of charge.

• Browns Plains, Beenleigh, Logan Village and Greenbank are open from 7:00am to 5:30pm (normal hours, weather permitting).
• The Carbrook centre reopened at 7am on Tuesday.
• The Logan Recycling Market is due to reopen on Friday, weather permitting.

When is my bin going to get collected?

On Sunday, Brisbane City Council announced a special red-top bin collection service would occur after many bins were left overflowing in the days leading up to Cyclone Alfred.

By Monday, normal bin collection was underway, with residents encouraged to put their red-top bins out on their normal collection day.

In Logan, the collection of bins has resumed with residents encouraged to put their bins out on their usual collection day.

Although council warned services may be limited due to driver availability and restricted access to some roads.

City of Moreton Bay Council advised waste collection had resumed as normal (dependant on road closures).

Catch up services for general waste collections cancelled Thursday 6 March and Friday 7 March are continuing throughout the first half of this week.

In Redland City Council areas, bulk food waste disposal sites are now open to the community at several locations on the mainland to assist residents with their clean-up efforts after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

These sites have been activated to help households, including those who have been impacted by power outages, dispose of event-related food waste and highly odorous materials such as nappies.

Kerbside collection resumed on Monday, including collections on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) and Coochiemudlo Island, and will continue to operate as per the council’s usual schedule.