Ice Cube reveals he’s trapped in Gold Coast hotel amid Cyclone Alfred
“Right here”: A huge US star has popped up on Aussie TV to reveal he’s been trapped in his hotel as the cyclone bears down.
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American rapper and actor Ice Cube has revealed he’s trapped in his hotel on the Gold Coast as Cyclone Alfred prepares to make landfall.
The star, 55, appeared on Ten’s The Project on Wednesday night, where he revealed that he’d been staying at the beachside property when the emergency warnings began rolling in.
The tropical cyclone has been described as the region’s worst in 70 years, and is expected to make landfall between Coolangatta and Maroochydore on Friday, despite previous reports it would arrive late Thursday.
The cyclone, currently a category two, is forecast to bring winds of up to 155 km/h.
It’s causing plenty of concern in Queensland and the north of NSW – but in his interview, Cube sounded fairly unfazed by his proximity to the action.
“I’m staying clear of it. It is pretty cool. I haven’t been through a cyclone before, I can check this off my bucket list for sure,” he said.
“You know, I’m right here on the beach. The beach looks like it is going to be in the lobby in a minute.”
The US star is currently on tour in Australia, and is scheduled to play in Sydney on Friday and Melbourne on Sunday.
It comes as residents in the danger zone prepare for the impending cyclone, with the Bureau of Metereology announcing on Wednesday that its far western edge had already begun impacting the coast from Coolangatta to Ballina.
You can follow all the latest updates as they happen in our live blog.
Meanwhile, Cube is not the only high-profile personality caught up in the impending natural disaster.
Celebrities and well-known Aussies including Karl Stefanovic, Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, Pat Rafter, and Kevin Rudd and his wife Therese Rein all have properties in the region and are among those bracing for impact.
Hemsworth’s lavish home in Byron Bay, worth around $50 million, is in Alfred’s path, as is Today host Stefanovic’s $3.6 million holiday home in Sunshine Beach in Noosa.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Rudd and his wife now live in Washington, but own a breathtaking beachfront home in the region, which was originally built by Pat Rafter.
While the tennis star has since moved, his new home – across the border into New South Wales, just south of Byron Bay, would also need to make preparations for the cyclone’s landfall.
The BoM has said that Ballina is forecast to receive 35-110mm of rain of Thursday, with gusts of up to 130km/h.
That’s far more than the 8 to 20mm expected in Brisbane, but there could be similar gusts in Queensland’s capital.
On Friday, a washout is expected across the danger zone from north of Grafton to Sandy Point in Queensland.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli warned on Wednesday the “window is closing” on making preparations.
“By tomorrow afternoon, preparing your house will be very difficult. That window is now. So, get in and do the little things.”
Originally published as Ice Cube reveals he’s trapped in Gold Coast hotel amid Cyclone Alfred
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