CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The ABC is this week doing what it does best: providing rolling 24-hour coverage of the ever-changing developments and emergency updates regarding Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The category two cyclone is expected to make landfall tomorrow morning. As millions of Queenslanders and Northern NSW residents bunker down and wrangle supplies.
Many are already feeling the impacts, with tens of thousands of homes losing power and wind gusts of over 100km/h already recorded.
Supermarkets say they are doing what they can to keep stores open, as businesses and schools close.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning residents of South-East Queensland that extreme conditions for over six or more hours once the cyclone makes landfall.
While the commercial networks come under fire for leaving up paywalls on articles that provide evacuation instructions, all emergency updates can be found for free on the ABC radio, free-to-air TV, and online resources.
However, as we know all too well from the last few Brisbane floods – it’s not just the suburbs of Queensland that are going to suffer.
From Bundaberg to the mid north coast of NSW, extreme weather and heavy rainfall can be expected. Those in the regions are being urged to take the warnings just as seriously as the cityfolk.
And with these rolling updates comes a big break for the rural young guns who have been sent bush by the ABC.
Right across the Eastern Seaboard, young journalists are impressing with their first live national broadcasts.
While they usually ply their trade on agricultural stories, or the occasional local council scandal, the young kids doing their time in the rural news rooms are now mic’d up and speaking directly to the nation.
Right across the country, mums are being quickly texted and told to turn on the telly, because this is what JOURNALISM looks like!
It’s their time. And they are doing a stellar job.
