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Cyclone Alfred’s approach towards Queensland’s coast is stirring memories of Cyclone Gabrielle for Hawke’s Bay residents facing the eye of the storm.

Waiohiki’s Sarah Hay was left without power for 17 days after Gabrielle. Now, on holiday in Brisbane, she finds herself bracing for another storm. But this time, things feel different.

“The house was prepared yesterday,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“Windows taped, outdoor furniture secured, emergency kits checked, and everything needed for power outage located. We feel prepared, know what parts of the house are safe ... and are ready for whatever happens as much as we can be.”

Sarah Hay's outdoor furniture is tied down as part of cyclone preparations in Brisbane.

In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hay’s 4.04ha property.

“Luckily our homes were not flooded, but we have paddocks still buried in silt to this day because they are too hard for heavy machinery to access.”

While warnings were issued for northern regions, locals didn’t expect the storm to hit as hard as it did.

“The warnings were only applied to northern regions, in Hawke’s Bay we just never thought we would be affected.

“I think Hawke’s Bay did the best they could at the time but definitely could have been better prepared for the unpredictable given the amount of warning.”

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The path in front of Hay's house in Waiohiki after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Hay and her husband Adam met in Queensland in 2009 and lived there for several years, going through cyclone drills and the Brisbane floods of 2011.

She says Queenslanders are well-versed in cyclone preparation because it’s an annual reality.

“Everyone is pretty clued up on how to prepare as it’s part and parcel of living in a subtropical environment.”

That level of readiness, she says, contrasts with the lead-up to Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay.

“The main difference here is coverage and specific instructions on how to prepare in different regions,” Hay says.

She said people on Bribie Island had been preparing in advance since Monday.

“This wasn’t seen in Hawke’s Bay. Our property wasn’t checked on by authorities until days after the cyclone ... It felt very disorganised,” she said.

“When you know better, you do better.

“Here they are very proactive and know their roles. Sandbag collection began on Monday, with the cyclone expected on Thursday.”

Hawke’s Bay woman Sarah Hay, now in Brisbane, is preparing for Cyclone Alfred using lessons learned from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Bec Allpress, a former Havelock North resident now living in Redland Bay, south of Brisbane, is also witnessing a level of preparation she says didn’t happen as Cyclone Gabrielle approached the Bay.

Allpress was visiting Hawke’s Bay and left the region just before Gabrielle hit but closely followed its impact on friends and family.

Now, watching Queensland brace for Alfred, she told Hawke’s Bay Today, “everything has been covered”.

“We are all seeing storm surge maps, so places that haven’t flooded before are being told to leave, because basically if the cyclone crosses in high tide, it’s going to be unprecedented.”

Allpress said that although it is a “scary and uncertain time for everyone,” the community is calm.

“Our sandbagging stations have been open for days ... Dumps are doing extended hours for people to clear their yards. We’ve been told to take our rubbish bins to the dump so they’re empty and can be stored inside, and to reduce them blowing over and having waste and rubbish going everywhere,” she said.

Sandbags in the streets: Gold Coast residents take precautions ahead of Cyclone Alfred’s arrival.

She told Hawke’s Bay Today supermarkets were continually restocking, and the council has been clearing leaf debris from drains and trimming trees.

“Things that I would never have thought of, have been covered.”

She says Queensland’s response includes early evacuations in flood-prone areas, police going door-to-door to ensure residents have plans and supplies, and constant updates from emergency services.

Hastings’ Jess Robin, who is stuck in Gold Coast, said she felt “nervous about what is to come”.

“I saw the devastation caused by Gabrielle. I spent weeks alongside others shovelling silt ... trying to save the homes of people I love.”

Robin said the supermarket was empty of meat, bread, and milk yesterday, but had restocked today.

Empty supermarket shelves in Gold Coast before being restocked.

For her, although she is safe, and has supplies, the feeling of being in a foreign place is “scary”.