Emergency services pre-deployed in anticipation of Cyclone Alfred

Police have stood up their disaster management centre as Cyclone Alfred lurches its way inland, bringing the near certainty of torrential rain and flash flooding.

Darling Downs Police are keeping a close eye on Tropical Cyclone Alfred, with the slow-moving system expected to unleash a significant amount of rainfall as it moves inland.

The Bureau of Meteorology had predicted the cyclone would cross the southeast Queensland coast in the early hours of Saturday as a Category 1 system, before easing to a tropical low as it travels into the Darling Downs over the weekend.

Despite these downgrades, authorities say the weather event will come with its own threats for Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.

While Alfred’s winds are predicted to ease, it will still bring torrential rain, flash flooding and power outages.

On Friday morning, BOM predicted up to 200mm of rain could fall across Saturday and Sunday in Toowoomba.

Darling Downs Disaster Management Officer Senior Sergeant Craig Berry (left) and Inspector Scott Stahlhut in the Darling Downs District Disaster Coordination Centre as emergency services prepare for the arrival of the weather system associated with TC Alfred, Thursday, March 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Inspector Scott Stahlhut said the Darling Downs District Disaster Coordination Centre had been stood up and was ready to respond as needed.

“There is a whole of government approach to managing a significant weather event,” he said.

From state authorities in Brisbane, to the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley regional councils and local police, fire and ambulance, hundreds of personnel are primed for what could occur.

“There is a stack of information sharing, obviously, between all the agencies from government down throughout the State Government so we can manage, respond and recover as necessary as this significant weather event sort of passes through,” Insp Stahlhut said.

Police, SES and Queensland Fire Department crews are on standby in the high-risk areas, pre-deployed and ready to act.

Insp Stahlhut said their efforts have been somewhat aided by the storm slowing as it moved inland.

“All the agencies, all departments, government and non-government, are well versed and well rehearsed,”

Darling Downs Disaster Management Officer Senior Sergeant Craig Berry in the Darling Downs District Disaster Coordination Centre as emergency services prepare for the arrival of the weather system associated with TC Alfred, Thursday, March 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We have had eyes on this cyclone since Monday, as it tracked down the coast.

“The system has slowed and it is expected to cross over a broad area, bringing a significant rain event, up to 1000mm in some places.

“In Toowoomba we are not that far from the coast, so we are expecting to have some significant rainfall and we’re preparing now.

“We have pre-propositioned police resources throughout areas we know which may be impacted based on our best knowledge from previous events.”

On Thursday, State Emergency Service volunteers helped fill more than 40,000 sandbags to residents across Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.

About 50 active volunteers have completed more than 350 jobs since Monday, including helping elderly and vulnerable residents.

The storm’s slow pace is a mixed blessing, while it has given authorities more time to prepare, it also sucked up more water that will have to come back down sometime.

“This is a significant event, something Queensland has not seen for 50 years,” Insp Stahlhut said.

“What it will look like, we don’t know.

“We are preparing for an event of significance, if it does not turn out to be an event of significance, then that is a good thing, but we will be prepared either way.

“We are not undercooking our preparations one little bit.”

For updates on road closures and warnings, head to the disaster dashboard for your local council online.