Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs “However, this should change in the next 24 hours, and we will start to see Tropical Cyclone Alfred stall and then turn on a westward track towards south-east Queensland coast,” she said.Oates said Alfred had sustained 95km/h winds near its centre, with gusts of up to 130km/h.“Not everywhere in south-east Queensland will receive destructive winds, and they will be confined close to the system centre,” she said.The Wivenhoe Dam release in 2011.Credit: Dean SaffronThe biggest threat to the wider region would be the heavy rain, which Oates said was likely to begin on Wednesday afternoon or evening.“The totals that we could probably expect during Wednesday in a 24-hour period is some isolated totals to 100 millimetres, which does not seem like a lot, but as Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to move closer to the coast, that rainfall will move further inland and become more intense,” she said.“We’re likely to see daily rainfall totals of around 200 millimetres plus, with isolated totals even higher than that and up around 400 millimetres is not out of the question.Loading“This will continue into Friday, and it looks like at this stage Saturday will still be significantly wet for south-east Queensland, so if we accumulate those rainfall totals over that three-day period, it is highly likely that we will see isolated areas of 700 millimetres or so.”South-east Queensland dam operators were on alert as the region’s flood mitigation system faced its greatest test since the deadly 2011 floods.Crisafulli said Seqwater had been instructed to provide an update about possible release on Tuesday afternoon. That update was due about 3pm.As of Tuesday morning, Wivenhoe was at 86.8 per cent capacity, with 100 per cent of its flood storage volume of 2.2 million megalitres still available. Somerset was at 80 per cent, with 99.8 per cent of its 705,000 megalitres of flood storage available.On Monday, Crisafulli said dam operators had to be upfront with residents about the trigger points for water releases as Alfred approached.Sandbag collection from a council depot in Morningside on Monday.Credit: Dan Peled“Seqwater and indeed Sunwater have procedures that they have to follow, following the Commission of Inquiry, and I’m urging them to be upfront with people, explain what those percentages are, and explain when that occurs,” he said.The Commission of Inquiry report, which was handed to then-premier Anna Bligh in 2012, found some of the devastating 2011 floods could have been reduced if more water had been released before the heavy rainfall that led to the disaster.“There is water in the system at the moment, and you do have catchments that have had rain, so on the back of it, that has to be factored into their modelling,” Crisafulli said.“We’re asking them to explain that, because that’s important to people – from the point of release to when you might see that in the CBD, there’s a few days in that.”Shelves were empty at Coles Greenslopes on Monday afternoon. Credit: Jocelyn Garcia Sunwater supplies bulk water to the Wide Bay-Burnett region and north-west Queensland.A spokesperson for Seqwater, which operates the dams that service Brisbane, said its flood operations centre had moved to the “alert” activation stage.Wivenhoe Dam was built after the 1974 Brisbane flood that claimed 16 lives and destroyed 8000 homes. While the dam was already being planned before the disaster, flood mitigation became a central feature of its design.LoadingBrisbane CityCat and ferry services ended until further notice on Monday night, following advice from Maritime Safety Queensland.“I understand this decision will inconvenience people, but the safety of our passengers, crew and vessels must be a top priority,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.“… The combination of high tides, flash flooding, dangerous high winds and intense rainfall creates a serious safety hazard, including debris on the Brisbane River.”An Energex spokesman said all available crews, vehicles, equipment, and aircraft were being prepared to respond and generators had been deployed at strategic locations to support island communities that were hardest to reach.LoadingThose communities were urged to decide soon whether to evacuate or wait it out.Acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said Tuesday might be their last chance to get to seek shelter on the mainland.“If you are making the decision to leave and go and stay with family and friends, please do so,” he said.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
