Cyclone Alfred battered Redcliffe with heavy rainfall, powerful winds and localised flooding over the weekend of March 8-9, leaving widespread damage across the region.
Wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h caused significant disruption, leading to power outages, fallen trees and closed roads. Among the affected homes, one Redcliffe resident experienced severe damage when the cyclone’s winds tore off their roof.
However, the local community came together to weather the storm.
Member for Redcliffe Kerri-Anne Dooley said the community was incredible, with residents helping each other before, during and after the cyclone.
“Neighbours helping neighbours, strangers helping strangers – I couldn’t be prouder of how everyone listened to local and state government advice to be ready, and we were,” Ms Dooley said.
“Things could have been worse. Thankfully, there were no losses of life and whilst some properties were damaged, electricity outages were inconvenient and some had flooding, we’ve seen our community bounce back relatively quickly.”
A remarkable display of community spirit came from the Citipointe Redcliffe Love Army, a volunteer-based outreach of Citipointe Church Redcliffe. Volunteers worked around the clock at the sandbag station in Margate, shovelling dirt and packing vehicles. In the aftermath of the cyclone, they assisted with the clean-up efforts, including rallying a team to help a distressed resident move furniture from a home that had been flooded and destroyed.
Meanwhile, the team at Regis Lodges on George Nursing Home worked tirelessly to care for residents, with some team members staying overnight to ensure continuous support.
Emergency Response and Support Efforts
Dani Westport, Assistant Manager – Regis Lodges on George, said they quickly sprang to action after being notified that Cyclone Alfred was likely to impact the area.
“With 130 residents, this was a significant undertaking that involved moving all furniture and plants indoors, securing windows, ordering additional clinical supplies, ensuring the kitchen was well-stocked, scheduling extra shifts, relocating residents to safer areas within the home and keeping our team, residents and their families informed throughout the process,” Dani said.
When Regis faced a shortage of sandbags, they turned to local authorities for help.
“We then reached out to the State Member for Redcliffe, Kerri-Anne Dooley MP, who organised for a dozen sandbags to be delivered to our home within just over an hour,” Dani said. “We were incredibly grateful for the swift assistance during this critical time.”
The Hope Centre Moreton in Rothwell operated as an evacuation centre, offering beds, showers, toilets and food for residents in flood-prone areas at risk from the storm surge. Queensland Police and volunteers were on hand to provide support.
Federal Member for Petrie Luke Howarth said that throughout the entire preparation for Cyclone Alfred, the community were “really looking out for one another”.
“It was inspiring to see strangers come together in times of need to lend a hand to each other,” he said.
“A special shoutout to Mark and the Love Army from Citipointe Church Redcliffe for being ‘all hands on deck’ down at the Margate sandbag depot, ensuring every single person who needed sandbags had assistance – as well as loading up cars and utes to transport sandbags to vulnerable community members. Our community spirit in Petrie is one like no other.”
Reflecting on the event, Ms Dooley said it was important to heed government advice because it meant people were, for the most part, ready for the cyclone.
“Moreton Alert and the Moreton Disaster Dashboard are excellent tools to keep the community informed of what’s happening in real time,” she said.
Personal Hardship Assistance is now available for eligible residents. To check your eligibility, visit www.qld.gov.au/disasterhelp
For further assistance, call the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.
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