Residents of Australia lined their houses with sand in anticipation of Cyclone Alfred

The authorities have already closed airports and schools, and public transport has also stopped working.

"There are not enough sandbags, and supermarket shelves are empty as people stock up on essentials. Schools in southeast Queensland will close and public transport will not operate on Thursday and Friday. A total of 122 schools in northern New South Wales will be closed on Thursday," the agency quoted Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales, as saying.

According to the latest data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the cyclone may make landfall near Brisbane by the morning of March 8. The storm will cover the border regions of Queensland and New South Wales, causing heavy rains, flooding and damaging winds.

The last time a cyclone hit southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales was in 1974. Brisbane was threatened by a cyclone in 1990, but before reaching the city, it moved south.

On January 5, it was reported that more than 9 thousand people