Mass blackouts as tropical storm nears Australian coast

Published

9 months ago

March 8, 2025

Mass blackouts as tropical storm nears Australian coast © EPA

More than 300,000 properties are without power as a tropical storm edges closer to Australia’s east coast, lashing the region with heavy rain.

Storm Alfred has been downgraded from a cyclone to a tropical low, but local authorities have warned that the threat it poses is “not over”.

Violent winds have already downed trees and power lines, with roads flooded in low-lying areas as the storm approaches landfall. Alfred is forecast to hit the coast near Brisbane before moving further inward later on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of people have been told to evacuate from the storm’s path, while others have been urged to stay indoors.

Four million people across Queensland and northern New South Wales are in the firing line of the storm, with dozens of weather warnings in place across both areas.

The emergency services say they are working with energy companies, after some residents were told they could be without power for days.

Around 287,000 customers are experiencing outages in south east Queensland, according to energy provider Energex, while Essential Energy said more than 42,600 homes and businesses in New South Wales had experienced blackouts.

People in Brisbane, Queensland’s capital, went to bed on Friday bracing for strong winds and heavy rain.

They woke up on Saturday to learn that the cyclone had been downgraded and the city would escape the worst of the weather.

But the danger’s not over in other parts of southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said “the worst is yet to come”, and along the Gold Coast, which has been pummelled by bad weather the past few days, conditions are still pretty extreme.

There is driving rain and strong winds. There are power lines down, hundreds of trees have blown over in gardens, parks and along the main roads. There is lots of debris and emergency services have sectioned off areas most at risk.

The approaching storm has already damaged holiday apartments at Labrador on the Gold Coast. © EPA

“This emergency is not over,” said New South Wales state premier Chris Minns, adding that it is “crucially important” that the public does not “dismiss” the storm.

“It really doesn’t matter to us whether it’s been downgraded from a tropical cyclone to a weather event,” he said.

The state’s emergency service operations commander, Stuart Fisher, warned people not to be “complacent” and said authorities in the region expect flooding to continue over the next few days.

As the storm has edged closer to landfall, nearly 1,000 schools have closed, public transport has been suspended and airports are shut. Elective surgeries have also been cancelled.

Flights are not expected to resume until Sunday at the earliest.

The BBC has spoken to several people from Brisbane’s homeless community, who have taken refuge at Emmanuel City Mission, which has become a round-the-clock shelter.

At the Treasure Island Holiday Park in the Gold Coast, just north of Surfer’s Paradise, a gum tree had come down between two cabins, damaging a third. Nearby, a boat was half submerged in one of the canals a block away from the beach.

On the coast itself, many paths down to the beach are now unpassable. Instead, there’s a sudden drop to the ocean where the powerful waves have eaten away at the sand.

But the clean-up operation won’t happen for a few days – the wind is still powerful and there’s driving rain.

Residents are starting to venture out to look at the damage, but plenty are remaining indoors to keep themselves safe.

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The man who tackled a gunman to the floor and saved people from getting sh0t at Bondi Beach in Australia has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed.

Published

56 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The man who tackled a gunman to the floor and saved people from getting sh0t at Bondi Beach in Australia has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed.

He was shot during the incident and is currently recuperating in a hospital.

Meanwhile the two gunmen who k!lled over 9 people during the attack were neutralised.

NB: This page does not support violence and this is just a news report.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSQXFGajEFV/?igsh=M295eGdiNGVtbHBn

🎥 @7newsaustralia

Female Student Missing For 8 Days Found Chilling At Boyfriend’s House

Published

1 hour ago

December 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

A fresh controversy erupted online after a female student, missing for eight days, was found at her boyfriend’s house.

‎Details of the incident were shared by a classmate of the lady, identified as @folaaaa on X (formerly Twitter).

According to @folaaaa, her classmate’s parents are of age, and the father disclosed that he is currently 70 years old.

Prior to her being found, her last WhatsApp activity was on Monday, December 8, 2025.

Read Tweet Below…..

My coursemate was reported missing by her parents yesterday. They said they could not reach her for like 8 days. We did our research she was last seen online on Monday. They sha did perfect investigation with the oga olopa and they found out she was with her man”.

Meanwhile, the tweet which has garned over 400,000 views has been flooded with reactions from X users.

Dam Dam stated, “Dem suppose arrest Her and her man. Make dem sleep inside cell for a week. Imagine giving your parents so much headache and eventually you are with a man,at least call them and let them know you are safe wherever you are”.

PP the art, “The number of people that had shared and reshared “missing girl” on my WhatsApp cl was crazy. my friend was telling me this just now and i was so shocked”.

‎Jimmy, “Same thing happened in my department while i was in year 1,fliers were made they even interrogated her male friends.these went on for the whole of the semester only to find out she reads the class group messages and sees the missing fliers. She then later said she’s with her man”.

‎Bhetty, “She went to see a man and she didn’t take her parents’ call?Make she sleep cell for 3 days”.

See below…..

“It took me getting married and giving birth to realise marriage benefits men more” — Woman shares emotional thoughts

Published

6 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

A woman has stirred serious conversations online after opening up about how marriage and motherhood changed her perspective on life.

In a heartfelt reflection, she said it was only after getting married and giving birth that she began questioning who marriage truly benefits.

According to her, women often carry the heavier load — emotionally, physically, and mentally.

She explained that marriage can make women feel like tools, responsible for cooking, cleaning, caring for the home, and even contributing financially, while still bearing the full weight of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

She questioned why something described as a “blessing” should come with so much pain, stress, sleepless nights, and emotional strain for women.

In her words, childbirth comes with intense pain, followed by years of responsibility that largely fall on the woman, while many men continue life almost unchanged.

She admitted she never strongly pushed for marriage herself and only went along with it after family pressure. It was the lived experience — not theory — that opened her eyes.

While she made it clear that she loves her son deeply and finds joy in him, she said motherhood also forced her to confront uncomfortable truths about expectations placed on women.

📹: TT/mummychika1

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSP0XSnjAvd/?igsh=MTd3ZzdlbWI0dHV1Nw==