Australia’s prime minister has told residents along the country’s east coast to “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst” as a tropical cyclone nears landfall, bringing violent winds that have prompted mass evacuation orders and cut off electricity to 80,000 homes.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred was 125km (78 miles) east of Brisbane city on Friday afternoon, crawling towards the densely populated coastline at “walking speed” and is expected to make landfall early on Saturday, government forecasts said.
