This is how the cyclone looked like from the sky on Sunday March, the 3rd, 2025 as we received a Brisbane City Council Severe Weather Cyclone alert.
Resident of two states, Queensland and New South Wales, were asked to make preparations for the cyclone. The alert was on a zone covering 1000 kms of coastline. On Sunday, we were told it would hit the coast at category 2 on Wednesday, on Monday, we were told it would be Thursday. The cyclone was making loops. We prepared our houses and waited, in fear, barricaded in our homes, like during Covid. All shops were closed, it could strike any time now.
The question was : How bad?
According the the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), it was a Cat 2. What does it mean? According to BOM, category 2 means destructive winds, minor house damage, damage to signs, trees and caravans. Heavy damage to crops. Risk of power failure, Max wind speed 89-117 km/h. Typical Strongest gust 125-164 km/h.
Decisions had
to be made - should we stay or should we go? We still had two days, and
reaching Sydney (900 kms) takes only one day. Leaving on a hill, I was more concerned by
the wind than by the floods. My main concern was: would the roof hold. From my
enquiries online, it 'seemed' that a small traditional tin roof would hold
120km/h, up to 160km/h if it had been done recently and according to highest
standards. Mine was constructed in 1920, and had only been lightly sealed after I
bought the house. Not
everybody goes through the same stresses under climate threat emergency
situations.
On Tuesday,
the cyclone was fearing at 130km/h, what to do? My son was safer but alone at his dad's
place which had concrete areas. His dad was in the UK. My son offered we go there, in his area if the house that he rents. My daughter felt safer
at home. I convened with the neighbours and we agreed that as long as it
remains a Cat 2, it should be ok. In North Queensland, where cyclone usually
take place, residents did not seem to worry unless it reaches Cat 3, we were
told. Ok, then. I think we were all lacking experience. Retrospectively, I
think residents of houses like me should have been encouraged to leave. It
looked like a high Cat 2.
With my daughter, we queued to gather sand bags. It was run by volunteers bringing 1 CBM of sand bags at a time with 50 people around in a circle, via forklift. At first, a woman snatched two bags from my hands. It happened at an unconscious level, she even smiled coyly at me. I think her survival brain did not agree with her even. After three rounds, a man was taking the sandbags out of the crate for everyone else. You see the worse and the best of people in difficult situation. I think I already said that somewhere :)
Anyway, we got ready. sand bags were put in front of retaining wall, back door, and a couple extra for unforeseen needs, one in case of toilet bowl overflow, the bath was filled with water, mobile phones were fully charged, solar powered chargers at hands, a battery powered radio was lent by my son, the bins secured with ropes, outdoor equipment taken to storage, and the deck table out inside as a shelter for our heads in case the roof goes down and the windows blow.
In the meanwhile, surfers were having a ball on the Gold Coast.
And others were making themselves comfortable in the safest room
We were living in a state of extreme anxiety, yet, the cyclone took its time on an unpredictable path.
It was now going to hit Friday night or Saturday, the winds were 120km/h.
Then, the city council got annoyed with the surfers who could get fined $16K for surfing.
A makeshift refuge was opened in RNA showground, you had to bring your own food, and no bed was provided. I considered.
Friday the 7th, BOM screen was showing a cyclone - where was Wally? - the sky was blue, it was not even raining, the streets were quiet, not a car in the streets, it was eyrie, ... but yes, it was coming, probably tonight.
By now, people were making jokes about the cyclone's path
6:00pm Friday night is when my anxiety level was at its peak, the cyclone's arrival was imminent. I could feel my heart racing. Was I ready for, perhaps, the end.
I was looking at the neighbourhood FB page posts, when out of the blue, a woman said not to worry, she was a psychic and she could see Alfred was 'afraid' of Brisbane ($#@!), and another person who said she was a psychic as well, and could see the same. They received an avalanche of insults. That was not time sensitive to post this on FB community pages, or was it? 'Be respectful, they said'. I was not sure I could be respectful of everyone with such nonsense at this stage.
'You'll see on Monday', they said.
The weather reports was showing gusts of 155km/h, that was bad, it was looking like a high Cat 2 cyclone, plus there was worries about how it will interact with the hot air coming from the land interior.
IT GOT DOWNGRADED to Cat 1 at 7:01pm. We were safe, instant relief, my body regulated itself on the spot.
I took a screenshot of the psychics thread because it is one of these moments when reality beats fiction.
In the meanwhile, some people were doing incredible work for the wildlife
And then later on Friday during the night, it hit us. I could hear as a continuous hissing noise like nothing I had heard before, accompanied by strangely light, but continuous rain. The wind was ferocious. I fear for my roof not holding and was wondering if we would not be safer in the car but it was too late to get out of the house now. I saw a giant mango tree shaking like a leave up the hill. The house was holding remarkably well under the wind.
This was just the first phase.
On Saturday, we had A LOT of rain, which went on until Monday morning.
It first went over Bribie & Stradbroke Islands which thankfully acted as a protective buffer for Brisbane. It got downgraded from Cyclone to Severe Storm.
Retrospectively, many people considered the cyclone hit on Saturday only when the rain came down pouring madly, and when many houses were destroyed by the floods, but for me, the worse was the wind carrying the highest risks.
Around 300K people lots power. In Paddington, 1500 people lots power on that day, I was lucky I was still on the grid.
I just had an already weak retaining wall sliding out further under the pressure of the water going down the hill and flowing under the house that will need repairs.
By the end of the week, the city council went hard on homeless people, warning that sleeping in the street was illegal.
I can only imagine what would have happened to me if my house had been destroyed by a high Cat 2... Not many degrees of separation.
One man lost his life after being swept away by the flood water, and 36 military personnel got injured.
The power was restored very quickly, with only 10% of affected household left without power by the end of the week.
I think I reached my lowest point when I found myself with 160 AUD on my bank account after contracting last minute house insurance, buying one month of food supply, and filling the car tank. I worked out I had just enough left to fill the car again on the road.
As Brisbane Lord Major put it: "we dodged a bullet'.
