Tropical Cyclone Alfred: Northern NSW and Lismore prepare for worst — again

One community in the firing line of dangerous weather from Cyclone Alfred is still struggling to recover from record-breaking floods three years ago.

One community in the firing line of dangerous and devastating weather from Tropical Cyclone Alfred is still struggling to recover from record-breaking floods three years ago.

Lismore, a regional city in northern New South Wales, was decimated by 14.4 metre floods back in 2022 — with news.com.au only last week reporting businesses there were at a “make or break” point to stay open, with many still drowning in tax debts and rebuild repayments in the wake of the disaster.

Now, they are forced to prepare for the potential of another one.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to remain “at the higher end” of category 2 and make landfall between midnight Thursday and the early hours of Friday morning, bringing more than half a metre of rain in large areas of Queensland and NSW, as well as flooding, damaging to destructive winds, storm surge and coastal inundation.

Lismore residents John de Manincor and Susan Daysa fill sandbags in preparation for Cyclone Alfred. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the city “was on edge”.

“We are not cyclone proof ... that’s for sure,” he told ACA on Wednesday night.

“A lot of our trees ... are not suitable for 150km/h winds ... it's the fear of the unknown over the next three of four days.”

The community is still recovering from floodwaters inundating the regional city in 2022. Picture: New South Wales State Emergency Service / AFP

Lismore MP Janelle Saffin, who is also NSW parliamentary secretary for disaster recovery, said her message was to listen to the advice of SES and police, and “be prepared for what is a rare, unpredictable weather event”.

“All forecasting points to us experiencing a lot of strong winds and heavy rainfall as Tropical Cyclone Albert heads towards the coast and crosses land,” Ms Saffin said.

“Our emergency services are putting more personnel and resources in place. The community can help them by securing their properties or businesses in a practical sense, and wherever possible, stay at home and not take to the roads, waiting for the danger period to pass, then keep an eye on river levels afterwards.”

The Northern Rivers Hotel, which was damaged in the 2022 floods, started the “painful process” of packing up on Monday, and has been doing a run-out sale on beer, and relocating stock and equipment to clear out the pub.

Manager Britney Gwynne told ABC the situation was “nerve-racking” for the community because they were just unsure of what was going to happen.

NSW SES advise resident to prepare by securing loose items, trimming trees and avoiding parking under trees or powerlines. Valuables should be raised above expected flood levels. Residents should also assemble an emergency kit with essentials like medications, documents and pet food. Emergency checklists, sandbag locations and evacuation centres can be found on the NSW SES website.

Members of the public seeking emergency assistance during a flood or storm should call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500.

State emergency operations controller, deputy commissioner Peter Thurtell, said their message to residents in large parts of the North Coast and Northern Rivers regions was clear: “Do not put your life or that of emergency service personnel in danger.”

“Floodwater is extremely dangerous as it can have fast moving undercurrents that can wash people and vehicles away,” Commissioner Thurtell said.

“During this weather event, avoid going outside and if you do drive, plan ahead – pay attention to RMS message boards for road closures or hazardous conditions, and never drive, ride or walk through floodwater.”

The latest Tropical Cyclone Alfred tracking map, shared on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

The Public Information and Inquiry Centre (PIIC), a 24-hour hotline for information relating to severe weather and flooding, has been activated and can be contacted by calling 1800 227 228.

It does not replace the State Emergency Service emergency hotline (132 500) and if your life is in danger, call triple-0.

NSW Health has warned flooding may impact healthcare services, particularly due to staff access issues. For free health advice, call Healthdirect at 1800 022 222.

Police are encouraging those within the impacted flood areas to register their movements using the Australian Red Cross’ ‘Register, Find, Reunite’ service to let people know they are safe.

There are 122 public schools in northern NSW will be shut for the rest of the week due to potential impacts from the cyclone. A full list can be found here.

“We request families in affected areas to not send your children to school for the next three days,” the NSW Education Department said. “Our school staff will be onsite this morning in case the message is not received in time.”

For the latest on road closures, people are advised to visit the website www.livetraffic.com or contact their local councils.