Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs He said it was a low probability the cyclone would increase in speed over Thursday night.“The strength as it crosses the island is expected to be somewhere between that category 1 and category 2,” he said.“It is too early to say exactly what side of that threshold it will fall, and it will likely weaken further as it crosses the Bay through that more complicated environment.”As Alfred closes in, residents in the Gold Coast and Redland Bay areas were warned they could see storm surges up to 1.5 metres if the system crossed exactly at high tide, as Gold Coast authorities warned people to stay away from beaches.Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates said she was staggered people had not only been risking their lives out on the beaches, but also putting emergency crews at risk, labelling the actions as stupid. She said from Friday, the Gold Coast would start to record up to 100km/h winds.She warned people while it was still unclear if the cyclone would stall again, it was unlikely.The cyclone’s erratic nature was adding to uncertainty for the south-east Queensland and northern NSW populations, with many essential services such as schools, public transport and supermarkets modifying their operations. More than 1000 schools in Queensland were closed until further notice.The wait: A sandbagged shop in Queen Street Mall in Brisbane’s CBDCredit: Dan PeledWhen Brisbane and south-east Queensland would start to reopen remained unclear.Translink reported all public transport services are cancelled “until further notice”, while more than 600 Education Queensland schools are listed as closed on Friday, and will reopen “when it is safe for students to attend”.Crisafulli said families would be updated after the cyclone passed.Woolworths and Coles started closing stores early on Thursday, which would remain shut on Friday.The Brisbane Airport cancelled flights from Thursday afternoon, with Qantas and Jetstar international flights suspended until at least noon on Saturday, and domestic operations until at least Sunday morning.In a bid to protect water supply, more than 30 water treatment plants were put in place across the region, with Crisafulli confirming they were fortified with backup generators.People were warned to stay off the roads, and stay home from Thursday.Crisafulli said some roads were owned by the private sector, who would make their own decisions about closures, but the government hoped to keep roads and bridges “open as long as we possibly can”.“Because we want emergency services and essential personnel to be able to still drive,” he said.A near-empty Edward Street in Brisbane’s CBD.Credit: Dan PeledThere had been confusion from residents living in low-lying areas about whether they could park their cars in shopping centres for free to avoid flooding risks. A Scentre Group spokeswoman said parking was free at Westfield shopping centres in the cyclone warning zone on Thursday, but they could not guarantee safe access or storage of cars during or after cyclone.The Premier also had a message for big business.“Let me answer it this way, if someone takes the initiative to go and put their car into a safe place, I would hope that they are supported in that journey,” Crisafulli said.“And we want everyone to be good corporate citizens and good community citizens at the moment.”
