A region of Australia’s eastern coast, including the vicinity of Brisbane — the nation’s third-largest city — is preparing for a cyclone, the first predicted to hit the area in decades, with warnings of potential widespread flooding and destructive winds.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred, a slow-moving storm, is forecast to make landfall near Brisbane, home to around 2.7 million residents, late Friday or early Saturday. As of Thursday midday, it was approximately 150 miles offshore and already causing record-high waves. Authorities have issued “prepare to evacuate” alerts for parts of the city and neighboring regions, indicating that tens of thousands of structures in low-lying areas are at risk of flooding.

Forecasters predict wind gusts could reach up to 95 miles per hour in coastal areas, with dangerous levels of storm tide poised to inundate parts of the region. This would mark the first cyclone landfall along the southeastern part of Queensland since 1974, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

Preparations are underway in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, with over 900 schools closing and public transportation halting before the storm hits. Shoppers have emptied grocery shelves, and long queues formed for sandbags as the cyclone, initially expected to stay offshore, changed direction and moved toward land.

Despite the impending danger, the record swell caused by the cyclone attracted enthusiastic surfers to the coast, along with spectators. Officials warned that the storm’s slow approach could intensify its effects on coastal areas by extending the duration of rainfall and storm surges.

Among the areas at risk from the storm is Lismore, a small city located about eight hours north of Sydney that suffered severe flooding in 2022 resulting in 22 deaths.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that he would provide emergency federal assistance to the states of Queensland and New South Wales for post-storm recovery efforts.