Thousands of Australians without power as storm Alfred lashes Queensland

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(Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia’s Queensland state were without power on Sunday after Alfred, a downgraded tropical cyclone, brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings.

Some 316,540 people were without power in Queensland’s southeast, where the Gold Coast city was the worst-hit area with more than 112,000 without power due to the storm system, energy distributor Energex said in a statement.

The storm reached the Queensland coast on Saturday as a “tropical low” after 16 days as a cyclone, prompting preparations by millions of residents. The state capital Brisbane was spared the brunt of the storm, which was also felt in southern neighbour New South Wales.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that the “situation in Queensland and northern New South Wales remains very serious due to flash-flooding and heavy winds”.

“Heavy rainfall, damaging wind gusts, and coastal surf impacts are expected to continue over coming days,” Albanese said in Canberra, in remarks televised by the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The nation’s Bureau of Meteorology said heavy rainfall that could spark flash flooding was developing on Sunday and could impact Brisbane as well as the Queensland regional centres of Ipswich, Sunshine Coast and Gympie, it said.

Damaging winds with gusts of around 90 kph (60 mph) were also possible in the state, the bureau said on its website.

“It is now just a weak low as it continues moving further inland through southeast Queensland, bringing lots of rain,” said bureau meteorologist Dean Narramore.

Brisbane Airport reopened on Sunday but posted on X that “ongoing weather may affect the schedule”.

Queensland will decide on Sunday on whether around 1,000 state schools, closed due to the bad weather, will reopen on Monday, said state Premier David Crisafulli.

“Where it’s safe to do so, schools will reopen with the exception of the Gold Coast, where there remains some significant damage. Power loss and issues with transport,” Crisafulli said in televised comments from Brisbane.

“One thing’s remained consistent, and that is the community spirit and the resolve,” he said.

On Saturday, one man died in floodwater in northern New South Wales, while two Australian defence force vehicles en route to help residents in the city of Lismore were involved in a road collision that injured several officers, officials said.

(Reporting by Samuel McKeith; Editing by William Mallard)