At least one person died and four remain missing after Tropical Cyclone Alfred battered Australia’s east coast. But its coastal erosion, not human casualties, that have got the country talking. The Gold Coast is known for its smooth,

Over the weekend, residents of Brisbane, Australia, were bracing for the impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The storm was downgraded to a tropical low, and made landfall on the mainland on Saturday. It was the first storm of its kind in the area in 51 years.

Schools are closed, public transport has stopped and desperate residents are getting around shortages of sandbags by buying sacks of potting mix as a region of eastern Australia is lashed by wind and rain from a rare approaching tropical cyclone.