Ex-Cyclone Alfred live updates: Desperate search is launched for missing teen who disappeared after playing in a drain

A teenager has gone missing as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to wreak havoc.

Caleb was last seen at a home on Burdekin Road in Logan Reserve, 40km south of Brisbane, at about 11pm on Sunday night.

He was seen playing in a drain before heading out again.

The 18-year-old has not been seen or heard from since.

Caleb has a medical condition and his carers and the police are concerned for his welfare.

The teenager is Caucasian, with short brown hair and was last seen wearing camouflage shorts, with no shirt or shoes.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact police immediately.

A flood warning has been issued for areas including Logan.

Anthony Albanese has been questioned about the Australian Defence Force’s involvement in disaster response after a horror rollover left 13 soldiers in hospital during an ex-Cyclone Alfred operation in Lismore.

Sunrise host Natalie Barr put it to the Prime Minister that there was a government review in 2023 which found that the ADF wasn’t structured to act as a domestic disaster recovery agency.

‘How are you feeling about that right now?’ she asked him on Monday morning.
‘What it said was unless there was an emergency. I tell you what, behind me is an emergency. You’ve all seen the pictures,’ Mr Albanese replied.

‘This was one where we needed to use every asset at our disposal, and yesterday, when I was at the barracks, thanking the fine men and women of the Australian Defence Force, you know what, they were so proud of what they are doing.

‘And they’re right to be proud. They have vehicles and assets that just simply aren’t available in civil infrastructure.’

The Prime Minister said councils on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Logan ‘just don’t have the sort of vehicles’ that have provided assistance.

He added that it was a ‘good job’ the government had established NEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, which ‘simply didn’t exist when we came to office’.

‘They have provided the national coordination which has worked hand in hand with David Crisafulli’s government and Chris Minns’ government and all of the mayors of the respective councils.’

He said that he will be visiting flood-ravaged northern NSW with Defence Minister Richard Marles.

Southeast Queensland and northern NSW will take a long time to fully recover after being hit by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister says.

‘We expect the insurance sector to look out for their customers and meet the expectations that the community have for this sector,’ she said on Monday morning.

‘We know that recovery will be long when we have events at this scale, we start with what people need, but we move quickly to clean up and trying to repair damage, and the insurance sector is part of that.

‘We want them to play a constructive role, and we expect that they will.’

Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister (in red coat) is pictured with Anthony Albanese and soldiers during a visit to the Gallipoli Barracks on March 9 in Brisbane

Severe storm cells are forming just north of Brisbane, the Bureau of Meteorology warns.

‘Very dangerous thunderstorms, likely to produce intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding were detected near the area west of Esk, the area north-west of Esk, Rosevale and the area north of Kilkivan,’ the BoM said at 7.40am (AEST).

‘These thunderstorms are moving towards the south to south-east. They are forecast to affect Gatton, Esk and the ranges between Gympie and Murgon by 8.10am and Laidley, the area south of Esk and the area northeast of Kingaroy by 8.40am.’

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has warned that the worst of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred is not yet over.

He said about 17 people had been rescued overnight and the SES had been called to ‘over 300 jobs in a little over a few hours’.

‘My message is simple, we’re not through the worst just yet. (There is) a bit more rain to come. If you stay connected, I have every faith we will get through this,’ he said on Monday morning.

The Premier urged residents to take precautions.

‘My message is just to be careful. Don’t go driving through flooded water. Do the little things right and you’ll get through this.

‘There’s Queenslanders who have only just been impacted now. There’s Queenslanders who are out there cleaning up their yards, and there’s others who may have had limited damage. So we’re making sure we can cater for different people at different stages.’

Mr Crisafulli added that ‘there will be parts of the broader area where it is safe for people to go to school and go back to work, and we’re giving every opportunity for that to occur’.

‘But my message today, and we do have a bit of rain left to go, is overwhelmingly you must always put your safety first. That’s number one in a disaster. Property can be replaced, people can’t.’

A man has been charged following an alleged assault that left another man with facial injuries at an evacuation centre on Dalley Street at Mullumbimby, in north NSW, at 8pm on Sunday.

A 26-year-old was treated at the scene and taken to hospital in a stable condition.

‘On arrival, officers attached to Tweed/Byron Police District were told two men had allegedly been involved in an altercation,’ a NSW Police spokeswoman said.

The insurance bill left behind by ex-Cyclone Alfred is expected to be more than $2billion.

ING’s head of consumer and marketing insights Matt Bowen made the revelation on Sunrise on Monday morning.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver added the cyclone would cost the economy about $1.1billion a day.

The NSW Police have released details of the rescue of a man from flood waters on the state’s mid-north coast on the weekend.

At about 8pm on Saturday, emergency services were called to Missabotti Road, Missabotti – about 30km north-west of Nambucca Heads – following reports a man had been washed away by flood waters.

On arrival, officers attached to Mid North Coast Police District were told a 71-year-old man had attempted to cross flood waters in a Toyota Landcruiser, but the vehicle failed to cross and was swept downstream.

The man was located in the water nearby, holding onto the rear of the vehicle which was pinned near some large trees.

Local police together with SES personnel, Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW Ambulance officers attended and began an operation to retrieve him from the water.

A lifejacket was able to be successfully floated to the man before the arrival of an SES Swift Water Rescue Team, which completed the rescue with an inflatable raft.

The man was assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics and did not require any medical treatment.

The incident has prompted police to remind all residents who have been affected by the weather event and flooding to stay safe by never driving through floodwaters, and to always follow signs or directions from emergency services.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has urged residents to avoid travel when necessary and pay attention to evacuation orders.

Mr Crisafulli said some schools may be reopening on Monday, but urged families to use caution and avoid going out if it was too dangerous.

‘Don’t go crossing flooded water to get to a school,’ he said.

‘There will be parts of the broader area where it is safe for people to go to school and go back to work.

‘But my message today, and we do have a bit of rain left to go, is overwhelmingly you must always put your safety first.

‘That’s number one in a disaster. Property can be replaced, people can’t.’

Mr Crisafulli also told residents to pay attention to major flood warnings and be prepared to flee to higher ground.

‘If you’re in one of those areas where there’s a major flood warning, know your area, know the risk,’ he said.

‘If you’re subject to those creek flooding, the flash flooding, and you might have had an emergency alert, it’s the same scenario.

‘Know your plan, stay connected to those warnings, make sure you know where higher ground is in the event you need to.’

Sunrise host Nat Barr reignited debate about the role of the Australian Defence Force during natural disasters on Monday.

It came after Independent senator Jacqui Lambie claimed on Sunday the ADF should be the last port of call, instead of the first.

She suggested a ‘Climate Army’ should be established instead and explained it would be a group made up of regular citizens.

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek argued on Monday the ‘ADF are the best people to do some of the real heavy lifting’.

‘They have got the equipment and the personnel and as the defence minister said they are proud of the work that they do and we are proud of the work that they do,’ she said.

Thousands have been left stranded as floodwaters cut off evacuation routes across northern NSW.

The State Emergency Service said 1,800 are already isolated while another 18,500 have been warned to prepare to be cut off.

‘Along the Richmond River, residents at Bungawalbin have been advised it is too late to leave the area and to seek refuge at higher ground due to major flooding. Major flooding is also occurring at Coraki,’ an update read.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said he was relieved to see some weather warnings had been downgraded over the weekend, but the worst was yet to come for many.

‘Major flooding and isolations are still occurring across many communities, and the predicted risk of heavy rain to continue throughout Monday and possibly into Tuesday will only exacerbate this risk,’ he said.

‘We may see renewed river rises, but we’re hoping we have seen the worst of the rain from this event.’

Emergency flood warnings have been issued across south-east Queensland and northern NSW.

Major flood warnings have been issued for Bremer River and Warrill Creek, as well as Laidley Creek.

Moderate flood warnings have been issued for Lockyer Creek and Logan and Albert River.

Major flooding is possible along the Tweed River at Tumbulgum.

Minor flooding is occurring at Murwillumbah and Chinderan.

The NSW State Emergency Service has issued a severe weather warning for Lismore and Tamworth.

Heavy rainfall is forecast for the towns, which could also lead to flash flooding in Armidale, Gunnedah, Moree and Narrabri.

Hundreds of schools across south-east Queensland and northern NSW will remain shut on Monday as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to cause havoc.

Queensland schools unscathed by the storm will reopen only if it’s safe to do so.

‘Where it’s safe to do so, schools will reopen with the exception of the Gold Coast,’ Premier David Crisafulli said.

More than 680 state, Catholic and indepedent schools in Queensland will remain closed on Monday. Full list here.

An additional 255 schools also remain shut in northern NSW. Full list here.

‘As the full impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to unfold and clean-up efforts begin to get under way, our priority is ensuring the safety of students and staff,’ NSW education minister Prue Car said.

The NSW closues could delay the start of NAPLAN tests for public school students in years 3,5,7 and 9.

The NAPLAN tests are scheduled to take place from Wednesday, March 12 to Monday, March 24.

Almost 224,000 homes and businesses across south-east Queensland were still without power early Monday morning, according to the Energex website.

Gold Coast was the worst hit region with 72,694 customers impacted, followed by Brisbane (45,106), Redland City (34,907), Moreton Bay (34, 060) and Logan (30, 342).

It comes after Energex crews worked around the clock to restore power to 100,000 properties across the region on Sunday

‘While it’s a relief to be making headway, we’re also acutely conscious that it continues to be a long, hard slog for others, some of whom were hit in the first early waves of #TCAlfred,’ it said.

‘We have teams working around the clock, and tomorrow we’ll build on today’s gains – we just need the weather to work with us, and for flooding to hold off.’