Cyclone Alfred: Wild ride in Surfers and Gold Coast high-rise towers amid high winds

Gold Coast residents inside the top floors of high-rise towers say they are “rocking and rolling” as 100km/hour plus gales from Cyclone Alfred batter the Gold Coast. Inside the towers. SEE THE VIDEOS

Residents up the top levels of high-rises on the famed Gold Coast skyline are having a wild ride – reporting “trembling” and “vibrating” towers as Cyclone Alfred gales blow in.

Authorities urged Gold Coasters to shelter inside from 4pm on Friday with the tropical cyclone slowly bearing down on landfall, expected north of Brisbane on Saturday morning.

From the 65th floor the Gold Coast’s tallest tower, the Q1 in Surfers Paradise, Joanie Foster said just after 9pm: “It’s a wild ride up here, let me tell you.

“It is rocking and rolling. Constantly vibrating. The movement is non-stop.”

Ms Foster, on the Q1 body corporate and hunkered down in the swaying high-rise with her partner Richard, said she understands the 77-storey tower can sway up to 1.5 metres and has foundations 36 metres into the ground.

“I’m not one to panic. People have said to me it could fall over – and I’ve said don’t be ridiculous. But I have never experienced anything like this – it’s wild.

“I can feel the whole floor wobbling. The building is more than swaying, it’s vibrating. So it’s quite wild here now – what’s going to happen when it actually does hit?”

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The view from the 65th floor of the Q1 tower in Surfers Paradise where resident Joanie Foster says it is "rocking and rolling" in the Friday night Cyclone Alfred winds.

Gold Coast high-end real estate supremo Michael Kollosche – in a Broadbeach high-rise on level 41 – said: “It’s definitely stronger winds up here than on the ground level but we are doing well so far.

“Windows are vibrating but it’s all holding up. Northern and north western aspect is significantly less impacted than east and south.

“I am told the windows are engineered to 205km per hour so hopefully everything will be ok tonight.”

Joanie Foster from the 65th floor of the Surfers Paradise Q1 tower: “I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s a wild ride up here.”

TikTok account ‘TradingPool’ has been documenting his Cyclone Alfred experience from the 70th floor of the Meriton building on the Surfers Paradise beachfront to his 242,300 followers.

“This rain is literally insane.

“It has just gone from bad to worse.

“70th floor I’m literally trying to seal it on my own with what I have.

“Two other bedrooms are leaking as well.

“I would not be surprised if this window gives way.

“This is just not ideal at all.’’

In another video, he said: “You can literally see how fast it’s moving this is insane, trying to hang onto my phone for dear life, the beach is about to get taken over.’’

His video shows the high-rise unit shaking with the wind and a high-pitched whistling noise can be heard throughout.

“The worst of Cyclone Alfred is here and it’s on us right now, the wind has picked up a lot this is the worst I’ve seen it. I’m going to regret opening this window but I just want to show you guys how truly bad it is.”

Michael Kollosche from his 41st floor view amid the Cyclone Alfred high winds says: “Windows are vibrating but it’s all holding up.”

By 7.30pm wind gusts at 91km/hour were recorded at the Gold Coast Seaway and 100km/hour at Coolangatta, with some reports of 110km/hour winds at The Spit.

The view from the 65th floor of the Q1 tower in Surfers Paradise where resident Joanie Foster says it is "rocking and rolling" in the Friday night Cyclone Alfred winds

Earlier this week, the man who built the Q1, veteran developer Soheil Abedian said incredibly stringent building codes which all developers were forced to work under, meant the city’s skyline would stand strong against the high winds.

“This building code means everything here has been designed to withstand weather, from earthquakes to flooding and cyclones,” he said.

“We have no problem whatsoever and I say this because I have been building in this city since 1981 and I know everything has been built to this code.

Originally published as Cyclone Alfred: Wild ride in Surfers and Gold Coast high-rise towers amid high winds