Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie is set to deliver destructive gusts of wind, major floods and freakishly high tides today.
As of 5am Queensland time Friday, the state’s Bureau of Meteorology said the storm was sitting off the Gold Coast and set to strengthen off the northern New South Wales Coast today as it heads toward the south-east of Australia.
Destructive wind gusts stronger than 125 kilometres an hour could hit Brisbane, the Sunshine and Coast coasts, the Gold Coast Hinterland and the Scenic Rim this morning.
Beaches in south-east Queensland have a “dangerous surf conditions” warning on them, with abnormally high tides expected in places south of Cape Moreton, which include the Gold and Sunshine coasts and Stradbroke, Moreton and Fraser islands.
There are major flood warnings in place for the Albert and Logan rivers, the Bremer River and Lockyer, Laidley and Warrill creeks, and the Kolan River and Baffle Creek. The Upper Brisbane River is at risk of moderate flooding.
An emergency flood alert is in place for the Scenic Rim, and Logan River flooding is expected to peak at 7am this morning.
In New South Wales, there are major flood warnings for the Tweet, Brunswick and Wilsons rivers, and the Richmond-Wilsons River Valley has just been put on major flood watch by the NSW State Emergency Service. Click on the site for more information.
At close to 4am this morning, the NSW SES said that it had done more than 60 swift-water rescues overnight, with conditions in norther NSW forecast to be particularly hazardous today, with destructive winds, heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides, damaging surf and major flooding.
“Currently there are 19,880 people affected by evacuation orders covering over a dozen communities. Major locations affected by the bad weather include: Tweed Heads, Lismore, Murwillumbah and Kyogle,” the NSW SES said in the early hours of Friday.
“NSW, stay put and stay safe, if you have been advised to evacuate please make the right decision and leave early.”
“Conditions are extremely dangerous, this is an ongoing severe weather event with major flooding occurring. Rivers are still rising and many will continue to rise even when the rain has stopped.”
The Bureau of Meteorology in NSW said that dangerous surf conditions were expected north of Sydney and warned against rockfishing, swimming or surfing. Waves of more than 5 metres are expected along the Byron coast, while destructive southerly gusts of more than 125km/hr are set to hit the coast north of Port Macquarie this morning.
Emergency crews in Queensland answered more than 1,500 calls for assistance and 50 swift-water rescues on Thursday, reports said, as Debbie battered south-east Queensland, causing the state government to make the surprise call at 7.20am yesterday to shut schools. Schools in the area remain closed today.
The NSW SES advised parents to check their school website for updates on closures, with many schools expected to be closed today.
About 25,000 Brisbane homes lost power, with the lights going out for 34,000 homes on the Sunshine Coast, the Courier Mail reported.
For more information on emergency warnings, listen to local radio, disaster.qld.gov.au or phone (07) 5540 5636. For flood assistance contact the State Emergency Service on 132 500. Weather updates are available at bom.gov.au/qld/warnings and bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings.
Twitter was full of crazy images of the destruction caused by Debbie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTErBVqEF_g