Swathes of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales were on alert for flash flooding and damaging winds as more than 330,000 buildings were still without power on Sunday due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
After the downgraded cyclone made landfall just north of Brisbane overnight as a tropical low, the Bureau of Meteorology was still predicting up to 700mm of rain and destructive gusts to hit the region through to Monday.
Conditions on Sunday forced evacuations in Hervey Bay, where a public safety declaration meant police had extra powers to carry out emergency operations. Officers carried out nine rescues from houses and seven from cars. An emergency alert was also in place for the Fraser Coast.
On Sunday morning the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed that a 61-year-old man swept off a bridge by fast-moving flood waters near the NSW town of Dorrigo on Friday had died, with his body recovered late on Saturday.
The man’s ute was swept into flood waters at Megan, about 25km north of Dorrigo.
On Saturday evening two military trucks, each carrying 16 Australian defence force personnel who were helping road-clearing efforts, crashed near Lismore.
The first truck rolled, then the second did the same as it swerved in an attempt to avoid the first, officials said.
Of the 32 Brisbane-based ADF soldiers on board the vehicles, 13 were injured, six seriously.
“Everyone at the scene did their best to look after their mates and I am hugely grateful to emergency services and healthcare workers for the first aid and ongoing care,” Albanese said.
“These men and women are heroes who were on their way to help people in need. They were doing this at a time when some of their own families were bearing the brunt of Alfred. We will never take for granted the enormous sacrifice our soldiers make for us.”
Air traffic over south-east Queensland and northern NSW began to resume gradually on Sunday, with Brisbane and Gold Coast airports hosting a handful of passenger services.
On Sunday about 315,000 buildings in south-east Queensland and 16,000 in NSW were without power.
The bureau warned of swollen rivers and flash flooding, with more rain looming.
Speaking on Sunday afternoon, the bureau meteorologist Sue Oates said the impact of ex-TC Alfred had been “reduced to one hazard – and that’s the rainfall”.
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Isolated rainfalls of up to 400mm were expected, with another trough from central Australia dragging the low-pressure system inland over northern NSW.
Her colleague, Dean Narramore, said earlier: “By Wednesday, the weather system will finally shift all this wet weather to coastal parts of NSW and clearing mid to late week while south-east Queensland should start to see conditions easing from persistent rainfall on Monday.”
Flash flooding was reported on Sunday in parts of Brisbane, wheresuburban creeks began to spill over after a night of heavy wind and rain. Enoggera Creek on the north side overflowed on Sunday morning, swallowing bridges and walkways.
Saturday night brought far more severe weather than Friday. Toowoomba was hit by nearly 100km/h winds.
On Sunday afternoon major flood warnings remained in place for the Bremer and Logan rivers, and Warrill Creek.
In northern NSW, river levels in Lismore’s CBD that peaked at 9.31m on Saturday afternoon, below the height of the levee, continued to fall slowly on Sunday. Emergency warnings were reduced from evacuate to “return with caution”.
Major flood warnings remained in place as of Sunday afternoon for the Richmond, Clarence and Orara rivers. All other rivers had been reduced to moderate or minor warnings.
Lismore’s deputy mayor, Jeri Hall, said about 600 people had sought shelter in evacuation centres.
Some residents have been without power and water for 72 hours.
– with AAP