There were no cars on the road when Mel Lalor drove the length of Stradbroke Island today, only broken branches torn from trees by brutal winds overnight.
Stradbroke Island lies within Moreton Bay, where wind gusts of up to 120km/h tore through last night as Tropical Cyclone Alfred stalked slowly closer to the coast.
The category 2 storm is expected to make landfall tomorrow morning and after almost three days of preparations, the only thing left for the people of Stradbroke Island to do is wait.
It’s one of the first regions that will feel the full force of the the storm when it crosses the coast into south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales tomorrow.
Residents who haven’t evacuated already have been urged to stay inside and that’s exactly what Lalor plans to do, especially after the horrific winds she heard last night.
“It was terrifying. Then when I woke up this morning and went for a drive and saw all the trees down, you really knew how ferocious it was,” she told 9news.com.au.
“But I feel like the worst is yet to come.”
Gusts of up to 150km/hr are expected to lash Stradbroke Island from tonight and the cyclone will bringing heavy rainfall, damaging surf and abnormally high tides when it strikes tomorrow.
Despite the “scary” forecast, Lalor – who owns a local real estate agency – said most locals have remained on the island.
“Because we’re so far sticking out in the ocean, everyone feels like we’re going to cop the worst of it,” she said, but most residents were reluctant to leave their homes.
Hundreds plan to shelter at home and have spent the last few days preparing, moving outdoor furniture inside and tying down anything else that could become a hazard when the storm hits.
Lalor will be weathering the storm at her property on Main Beach, just 50 metres from the shore where Cyclone Alfred is expected to touch down in a matter of hours.
Her partner will be bunkering down at their other property.
It means someone can keep an eye on each property, but they’ll have to go through the most intense hours of the storm solo.
Lalor will also be worrying about her adult daughter, who was unable to make it back to Stradbroke Island before the water taxis stopped running on Wednesday afternoon.
When that happened, her daughter headed to Byron to shelter with her partner and his family but they received a flood evacuation warning soon after.
Now she’s in South West Rocks and Lalor’s doing her best to stay in touch as she anxiously makes last minute preparations before Cyclone Alfred makes landfall.
”I’ve got a lot of friends and family on the Gold Coast of Brisbane too, so I’m nervous for everybody,” she said.
”I’m really not sure what’s going to come within in the next two days.”
Locals have been warned to expect destructive winds, damaging surf, heavy rain and possible storm surge flooding.
After seeing the damage from last night’s winds, Lalor fears trees will be brought down on top of homes as families try to shelter from the storm.
Fortunately, emergency services and local authorities have been working closely with residents to help them prepare for the worst case scenarios.
Members of the community have also come together as Cyclone Alfred looms, helping people move furniture, prepare their homes and providing shelter where necessary.
“Growing up in a small community, we’ve always had that togetherness and everyone’s there to lend a hand and help out,” Lalor said.
She expects that will play a big role in recovery efforts in the hours and days after the storm passes through, when Stradbroke Island locals are left to clean up the debris and rebuild any damage.
“Everyone’s prepared and we kind of know what’s coming. But to me, I still just feel like the worst is yet to come.”
