Political rivalries have been set aside as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches, with volunteers, including federal MPs, lending a hand at Brisbane’s sandbag depots. Volunteers from all political affiliations, including the Greens and the Liberal party, are working together to fill thousands of sandbags, with no indication of “shop talk” allowed. One volunteer has reported that the wait for sandbags has dramatically reduced since volunteers got involved. Local politicians have redirected all campaign resources towards helping the community prepare for the cyclone. More than 400,000 sandbags had been handed out in Brisbane by Thursday morning, and volunteers have been seen helping their neighbors with sandbag distribution. The community coming together in this way is reminiscent of Brisbane’s “mud army,” which was formed after the 2011 floods. Gale-force winds are expected to arrive in Brisbane within the next 24 hours, with Tropical Cyclone Alfred predicted to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/06/bipartisan-sand-army-put-political-rivalries-aside-to-distribute-sandbags-as-cyclone-alfred-looms