A large swathe of Australia’s east coast is preparing for strong winds and life-threatening flooding as a tropical cyclone is forecast to make landfall around the nation’s third-largest city.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred had been expected to become the first cyclone to cross the Australian coast near the Queensland state capital of Brisbane, Australia’s third-most populous city, since 1974

Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power in Australia after a cyclone brought wild weather to the east coast. Communities in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) were beginning the clean-up on Sunday after the storm caused widespread flooding and knocked down power lines and trees.