A man is missing and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from eastern Australia before the arrival of a tropical cyclone which has already brought heavy rain and strong winds.
Nearly 100,000 houses and businesses have lost power, the beaches were eroded and airports closed as the storm approaches.
The tropical cyclone Alfred – which will be the first to strike Brisbane and the east coast of Australia in more than 50 years – should touch land on Saturday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanian It was supposed to call the national elections on Sunday or Monday, but now excluded this to focus on the response to the cyclone.
Find out more: What we know about tropical cyclone Alfred
The coastal regions were broken by gusts of wind over 100 km / h (62 MPH) on Friday, despite the storm sitting at around 200 km (124 miles) offshore, said the government’s meteorological agency.
TV images have shown that surfers are mounting in the huge seas and people walking near the beaches, forcing those responsible to warn residents to stay inside or prepare to evacuate when asked.
“Now is not the time to visit or see what these conditions are living. Please stay safe. Be reasonable,” said Albanese.
Five people were saved, but one remains missing
In northern New South Wales, heavy rains were buried with more than 15.8 inches of precipitation in just 48 hours, while residents rushed to save their homes.
At least five people have been saved from flood waters while rivers go up in the region, while a man whose SUV was washed with a bridge is missing.
Brisbane airport, which serves the third most populous city in Australia, closed its operations on Thursday afternoon while public transport in the city was suspended.
The officials described the tropical storm Alfred as a “very rare event” for Brisbane, the capital of the State of Queensland, with the city struck by a cyclone more than half a century ago in 1974.
Discussing the announcement of the delayed elections, Mr. Albanese said: “I do not intend to do anything that distracts from what we have to do. And what we have to do is take care of each other at this difficult moment.”
A national election must be held in mid-May, but it had to occur early so that the government could avoid providing budget forecasts that could show a deficit.
“We intend to serve a full mandate,” said Albanese in a television interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Rosmeur of war of the War Ship in danger
The Lithuanian rower Aimas Mockus, 44, brought the 7,500 miles from San Diego, California, Brisbane by himself when he blocked in perfidious conditions generated by the storm last week.
While riding 30 times in his partially closed boat – in his own words, “like a cat in a washing machine” – an Australian warship beat 16 meters (52 feet) swells to save him on Monday.
A relief from Mr. Mockus told Journalists in Sydney that he thought he would die when he activated his emergency beacon on February 28 and waited three days to be rescued.
“I have a lot of problems in my body,” he said. “And then I think that if I lost my head, if I lost my belief, what can I fight for my life (with)?”