Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Four million people are in the firing line and around 20,000 properties in Brisbane are at risk of flooding.Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday, public transport has come to a standstill and the federal government has Black Hawk helicopters on standby.Evacuations at aged care facilities in low-lying areas began on Wednesday, while residents in Brisbane’s flood-prone suburbs were packing their bags to stay with friends and family.“We don’t go forcibly drag people out of their homes … police will go around and say to people ‘you need to leave your home now’,” Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.“Those people who don’t leave their homes … that puts you, your family and us in a really dangerous situation.”The federal government has initiated defence force assistance with heavy-lift helicopters pre-positioned in Bundaberg and Coffs Harbour.“This is a rare event to have a tropical cyclone in an area that is not classified as part of the tropics,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Brisbane on Wednesday.Speaking from the Gold Coast on Wednesday afternoon, Premier David Crisafulli said the cyclone was likely to cross in the middle of the night.Premier David Crisafulli and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a press conference about the government’s response to Cyclone Alfred in Brisbane on Wednesday.Credit: Dan PeledHe urged people to continue their preparations before it became too late to do so.“It’s happening, exactly where, we’ll continue to tighten, exactly how strong and exactly when – they’re the variables, but that window is closing,” he said.“The one thing that is not negotiable, the one that’s been consistent for a long time, is that it is going to cross.”An evacuation centre will open at the RNA Showgrounds in Bowen Hills for people unable to stay with family or friends, but Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the safest place for the majority of people would be at home.‘This is a rare event, an extremely rare event. It’s been half a century since a system of this size crossed this far south.’Premier David CrisafulliBrisbane’s western suburbs experienced power outages on Wednesday, with strong winds bringing trees down over powerlines in Bardon, Mt Coot-tha, Toowong, and Brookfield.Flood releases are likely at Queensland’s Somerset and Wivenhoe dams in the next two days, with several ungated dams already spilling.Qantas cancelled a number of flights on Wednesday, Carnival Luminosa’s three-day cruise was called off and Greyhound bus services from Brisbane were axed.The cyclone’s impact is also set to be felt interstate, with the warning zone spanning Double Island Point, Queensland to Grafton, NSW. More than 100 schools have closed in the Northern Rivers region, with locals urged not to panic-buy.“Thursday is the day to act because Thursday evening and Friday morning we’re expecting the storm to approach and cross into NSW,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told ABC News.Uncertainty remained around flights in and out of Brisbane, with some airlines cancelling services into Thursday.“Brisbane Airport will continue to operate its terminals as long as airlines schedule flights in and out, for emergency and aero medical services, for defence operations, and while it is safe to do so,” the airport authority said on Wednesday afternoon.People watch jet skis and surfers at Kirra Beach on Wednesday ahead of Cyclone Alfred.Credit: Getty ImagesGold Coast Airport was closed, but Acting Mayor Donna Gates said management was hopeful it would reopen on Saturday, depending on the weather.Start the day with a summary of the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
