Australia Weather News

Shovelling sand by hand, with spades and trowels, hundreds of people turned up at the Logan sports centre to grab bags and prepare for the storm.

Not all were there for their own families and properties.

Dozens came just to help others.

Fiona Wehlisch, a contractor with the Logan City Council, was directing the sand-bearing trucks on Thursday and was amazed by the number of people who came just to help out.

Among the volunteers, she saw church groups, teachers who did not have school to attend and a group of teenagers with no shoes who just wanted to help anyone who would have struggled on their own.

"The Queensland spirit is amazing," Ms Wehlisch said.

The slow approach of Cyclone Alfred has given people more time to prepare.

Some people chose to spend the extra hours lending a hand.

Lionel and Olivia Narisumulu's house is at risk of flooding, but they say while the weather is good, they want to make sure others are safe.

"No older person should be [made to] carry the heavy bags by themselves," Mr Narisumulu said.

"Wherever we can help, we are happy to help out," he said.

An older woman who told the ABC she lived on her own and was recovering from surgery was overwhelmed by their assistance.

She needed sandbags to fortify her house and in no time, they were filled and loaded into her boot.

Jasper Joseph sorted out his own bags on Wednesday but returned on Thursday to help out.

For several hours, he shovelled sand and carried bags to various cars.

When a couple arrived without their own tools, he quickly joined forces with the Narisumulus to fill their bags.

When Brisbane and surrounding areas flooded in 2022, the Logan River rose more than 10 metres, swamping people's homes.

The Logan City Council said it was preparing for flooding of similar proportions.

An evacuation centre opened on Thursday morning at 7am at the Logan Metro Sports Centre at Crestmead.

Sand and bags were available at five locations across the City of Logan.

From nine in the morning, a steady stream of trucks pulled up to disgorge their loads before a grateful crowd.

Although storm clouds gathered on the horizon, the sun was bright making hot work of the heavy lifting.

Despite the impending danger and the drudgery of dragging sand around, the mood was high.

People were happy to get help and felt good to be part of the storm effort.

One man the ABC spoke to quietly worked for several hours teaming up with one person after another to fill bags and the backs of trucks.

At his side was his son, trowel in hand.

"I'm here to show him it's important to help out," he said.

He must have carried several gym workouts worth of sandbags and helped protect nearly a dozen properties.

Alberto Aoese had more than enough of his own muscle to fill and carry bags, but with two kids in tow (and a baby at home) he needed all the help he could get.

"There were a couple of guys giving us a hand because we've got young kids," he said.

"It's good to see the community come together."