Millions of people on Australia’s east coast are bracing for their first tropical cyclone in more than five decades as authorities urge residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate their homes. Storm warnings affected millions of people on Wednesday along more than 500km (311 miles) of coastline in the states of Queensland and New South Wales amid warnings that Tropical Cyclone Alfred could bring winds of up to 155km/h (96mph).

Residents are stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties ahead of a tropical cyclone that is forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation’s third-most populous city.

A rare tropical cyclone veered towards Australia's densely populated eastern coast on Wednesday (Mar 5), sparking emergency warnings, closing hundreds of schools, and thr