Brisbane news live: Bureau updates Tropical Cyclone Alfred tracking map | Rush on sandbags at SES depot in Newmarket | Ocean rower safely rescued

Gold Coast residents have faced long queues for sandbags as Cyclone Alfred approaches the south-east Queensland coast, and the city’s acting mayor has blamed the media.

Donna Gates said sandbagging stations had been open on Friday and Saturday, but barely anyone showed up. On Monday, there were queues at the Pimpama, Bilinga and Burleigh Heads distribution points.

“We urged people to go and get ready, but it didn’t happen,” she said.

“Unfortunately, the media didn’t produce the indication of where they were and when they were open, so we only had about 30 presentations on Friday and Saturday, and today there’s great long queues.”

Residents in high-rise buildings should remove furniture from outdoor balconies, while low-rise residents were urged to secure outdoor furniture and clear out their gutters.

The worst-case scenario for the Gold Coast was if Cyclone Alfred crossed the coast to the city’s north.

“It’s a worse outcome for us if it crosses on the Sunshine Coast or Moreton Bay, because of the swell and the winds and the water associated with the southern end of the system,” Gates said.

“So it would be better, as I understand it, if it crossed the Gold Coast.”

Loading

Gates said the “single point of contact” for Gold Coast residents should be the council’s emergency dashboard.

“There’s many community groups trying to help, even real estate agents trying to put out messaging, but it’s not always correct,” she said.

Gates said she had spoken to Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, who had travelled to Las Vegas for the NRL season opener in a bid to poach Magic Round from Brisbane.

“He’s looking at getting back as quickly as he possibly can, due to the conditions,” she said.

Gold Coast local disaster co-ordinator Mark Ryan said there were concerns about serious beach erosion.

“We know from the forecasts that we’re going to see excessive rain and certainly mixed with that wind,” he said.

“That’s when people should be thinking about sheltering in place, and that’s why we’re asking people to really be informed in that decision. Look at where your home is and then plan – certainly around Thursday, Friday – to keep off the road.”