Man missing after being washed into floodwaters as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches

Crews are searching for a man who was washed into floodwaters while driving over a bridge in his 4WD as Tropical Cyclone Alfred nears.

A man and his 4WD have been washed into floodwaters in northern NSW, as the region braces for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to make landfall.

Emergency services received reports a 4WD had been washed off a bridge into fast running water about 2.20pm in Megan, about 23km northeast of Dorrigo.

The man was driving across Wild Cattle Creek Bridge off Old Coramba Rd before he was washed into the floodwaters.

He managed to get out of the car and grab onto a tree branch about 30m from the river bank, with officers able to communicate with him.

However he was swept from the tree and went underwater about 3pm, and hasn’t been seen since.

A preliminary search was launched by police with the assistance of SES, with crews waiting for aerial assets to be brought in.

A NSW Police spokesperson urged members of the public to “adhere to all safety messaging and not to travel onto flooded roadways”.

The search comes as Tropical Cyclone Alfred is tipped to pass over the Moreton Bay Islands on Saturday morning before crossing the coast, likely between Noosa and Beenleigh later during the day.

Massive waves formed on the Gold Coast ahead of the expected arrival of Cyclone Alfred. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

‘By yourself’: Stern warning as cyclone nears

NSW Premier Chris Minns earlier warned that any resident defying evacuation orders will be “literally by yourself” as emergency services brace for Cyclone Alfred to make landfall.

Thousands of residents across north NSW and Queensland were being warned to evacuate on Friday as 120km/h winds lashed Moreton Island and Byron Bay overnight.

The tropical cyclone, which is inching towards the Australian mainland, is expected to bring widespread flooding which could cut off escape routes and mains power.

Speaking from Lismore, Mr Minns praised many residents of the 29,000 homes under evacuation orders who had already left their homes ahead of the cyclone.

“So, if you’re one of the few people that are remaining in your house and you’re in an evacuation area … you will literally be by yourself,” he said.

Mr Minns warned that despite the heavy emergency service presence, it did not mean those remaining in the evacuation zone could “ride out the storm”.

“There aren’t the same number of boats as houses, and in the event of a major natural disaster we can’t be everywhere at the same time,” he added.

“Our sincere hope is that the community gets through this without any loss of life and that we can, when this is all over, focus on the rebuild.”

As of 1pm on Friday, 18 emergency warnings to evacuate were in place across NSW’s Northern Rivers region as well as 24 to watch and act and prepare to evacuate.

There were 19 evacuation centres open to residents, with “thousands of extra resources”, 178 Australian Defence Force personnel, and 30 high-clearance vehicles.

Sandbags were placed in doorways at businesses in Lismore on Thursday. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

Residents and businesses prepare for Cyclone Alfred. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

SES Acting Chief Superintendent Stuart Fisher said NSW residents had widely followed advice from emergency services, with only five flood rescues overnight.

While the weather system had slowed, local emergency service operators warned it was “still packing a might punch” with conditions set to soon deteriorate.

Lismore MP Janelle Saffin called on residents in the Tweed area to conserve water with pumping stations left without power and be wary of scam charities.

With forecasters predicting levies in Lismore to top at noon on Saturday she also expressed concern about potential flooding from the Murwillumbah levy.

“It’s everywhere. It’s the whole region, so we’re looking out for the whole region, the whole north coast,” she said of potential flooding.

Lismore City Council Mayor Steve Krieg said the weather event was “hitting our community hard” after homes and businesses were devastated by floods in 2022.

“It was only three years ago we went through our disaster of the flood. People were just starting to get back on their feet,” Mr Krieg told Sunrise on Friday.

“The main CBD block was starting to fill up again, we had about 80 per cent of our shops and businesses return.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the cyclone was ‘hitting our community hard’. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

“To get this evacuation order yesterday or last night, it just really brings home how soon after that ‘22 flood we are.

 “It is really cruel to do this to Lismore again.”

Mr Krieg said many people had “over capitalised to rebuild their lives” in Lismore after the 2022 floods, which caused about $350m in damage to council assets.

A further $200m in damage was caused to roads and bridges during the February and March floods according to the council, as well as $108 to water assets.

As Alfred neared, Mr Krieg said he had taken his family to a home they had stayed in for a year after the 2022 flooding which he described as “deja vu”.

“Everyone has done such a good job in preparing for this,” he said.

“For us, what makes us probably more nervous than the flood is the wind.

“Already we are seeing trees down and power lines down in front of a parking site which has blown over and we are not even at the worst of it yet.

⚠️Issued 7:52am AEST

🌀Tropical #CycloneAlfred (Cat 2) is 165km east of #Brisbane.

Alfred is a category 2 cyclone, and is forecast to maintain this intensity as it approaches the coast today. Impacts expected to increase this evening. https://t.co/abjo0qiR5Xpic.twitter.com/SCbtXRdz0m

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 6, 2025

“We are dreading what is to come over the next 24 to 48 hours.”

The Bureau of Meteorology reported Cyclone Alfred was moving at about 6km an hour, with wind gusts of up to 140km.

The tropical cyclone was expected to make landfall on Saturday morning, most likely close to Moreton Bay, between Noosa and Coolangatta.

In the north of NSW, the bureau warned of six-hourly rainfall of between 200-250mm and between 350-450mm in a 24-hour period.

NSW SES warned many petrol stations, shopping centres, and grocery stores were now closed in the Northern Rivers region of NSW on Friday morning.

As of Friday morning, Essential Energy reported some 43,000 properties were already without power – by 1pm, that was reduced to 36,500.

Mr Minns warned that power to some areas could be out for “multiple days” and while crews had been pre-positioned to reconnect power, “they need to do it in a safe way”.

Further north, Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner on Thursday warned residents to prepare for the cyclone, with multiple emergency refuge shelters set up.

The Sunshine State capital was forecast to receive as much as 110mm of rain on Friday, building to up to 200mm on Saturday, according to the bureau.

Originally published as Man missing after being washed into floodwaters as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches