Residents Prepare for First Cyclone in 50 Years with Panic Buying of Toilet Paper and Bulk Water
Shoppers in Brisbane are stocking up in anticipation of Cyclone Alfred approaching later this week. Supermarket shelves in the Brisbane metropolitan area are being cleared out as locals prepare for a rare cyclone event. While cyclone activity is more common in northern Queensland, the last significant impact on the south-east corner of the state was in 1974 with Cyclone Zoe.
Residents are taking precautions and stocking up on essentials such as water, toilet paper, eggs, milk, meat, baby formula, nappies, torches, batteries, and Eskys. Images shared on the Brisbane Incident Alerts Facebook page show bare shelves at various supermarkets around the city.
During a visit to Coles and Woolworths in Sunnybank Hills, essential items were in high demand with shelves running low. Woolworths is closely monitoring the cyclone’s movements and sending additional stock to stores across the region.
Coles began preparing for the cyclone early by stocking up on essential items and boosting supplies of meat, milk, bread, water, canned goods, baby formula, and toilet paper. The community is urged to only purchase what they need to ensure everyone has access to necessary items.
Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall on March 6 or 7 and could extend over 200 kilometers in width, reaching from the Sunshine Coast to the New South Wales border as a category one cyclone.
