Sydney, Mar 11: Cyclone Alfred, which caused widespread power outage and flood in Australia's states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW), has exposed critical weaknesses in the country's infrastructure, an expert has warned.

"We may not be so lucky next time. Australia must use Cyclone Alfred as a serious wake-up call to bolster our essential infrastructure against disasters," said Cheryl Desha, visiting professor of the School of Engineering and Built Environment, Sciences Group, Griffith University, in an article published on Monday in The Conversation.

Cyclones are highly complex systems, bringing together multiple hazards like powerful winds, flooding, storm surges, and coastal erosion, which makes predicting their impacts especially challenging, Desha said, adding Alfred lingered off the coast for nearly two weeks, sustained by the warm waters of the Coral Sea.

Its movements became even more unpredictable due to the influence of a new moon, which triggered exceptionally high tides.

"Thousands of residents are mopping up in the wake of ex-Cyclone Alfred, which has damaged homes and cars, flooded roads and gouged out beaches," said Desha who also works for Natural Hazards Research Australia.

Power outages hit record levels, with more than 300,000 homes and businesses affected across both Queensland and NSW. Alfred also flooded and damaged roads, causing scores of road closures and traffic signal outages.

As climate change intensifies, extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe. It is crucial to reduce the risk of infrastructure failure during these disasters, Desha said, stressing the role of connected vegetation, such as rows of mature trees, wetlands, and mangroves, which can help slow and retain water, and reduce its erosive force, lowering the risk of land degradation and infrastructure damage.

Such vegetation allows water to seep into the ground, naturally filtering out debris and improving water quality, she wrote, adding city parks can be modified or upgraded to serve as detention basins, capturing water until it can safely drain away, Xinhua news agency reported.

Urban infrastructure can also take inspiration from natural features like swales and earthen mounds by integrating engineered channels and raised landforms, which would direct water away from communities and critical infrastructure, channeling it into storage areas above or below ground, Desha said.

The author cited a 2020 study in Fiji highlighting the role of mangroves in helping protect coastal communities from future wind damage. However, an estimated 17 per cent of mangroves have been destroyed since European settlement in Australia.

(IANS)

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