San Francisco Frontiers - Ex-cyclone batters Australia, causing huge blackouts

The former tropical cyclone -- now downgraded to a tropical depression -- has battered the coastline with gale-force winds that toppled trees, brought down power lines, and damaged buildings.

It was still creating heavy rainfall, swelling rivers in parts of a 400-kilometre (250-mile) stretch of the coast straddling southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales, government forecasters said.

Utility companies said 295,000 properties in southeast Queensland and another 42,600 in New South Wales were without power, warning that floods could hamper repairs.

"That's the largest ever loss of power from a natural disaster in Queensland's history," said the state's premier, David Crisafulli, estimating that about 750,000 people had been impacted since the blackouts began.

Although the weather system "stalled and began weakening", the bureau of meteorology warned that intense rain and damaging wind gusts were a risk throughout the weekend.

"Rivers are already starting to respond to the heavy rainfall, with many Minor to Major Flood Warnings current," the bureau said in a statement.

A 61-year-old man's body was found Saturday after his four-wheel drive pick-up truck was swept off a bridge into a river in northern New South Wales.

He had clambered out of the vehicle and tried in vain to cling to a tree branch in the river before disappearing into the rapid waters on Friday, police said.

- Flood warnings -

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned people not to underestimate the risks.

"While it has been downgraded, very serious risks remain so it is important that people do not take this downgrading as a reason for complacency," Albanese told a news conference.

"Its impact will be serious and will intensify over coming hours and indeed over coming days."

Evacuation orders have been issued for 16,200 people in New South Wales, where 30 flood rescues have been carried out over the past 24 hours, emergency services said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told a news conference the emergency was not over.

"It's not over for the following reasons: The rivers are full. The rain is continuing and expected to keep falling in the days ahead. And wind conditions are very high and extreme," he said.

But in Lismore -- a northern New South Wales city hit by deadly floods in 2022 and a focus of concern in the past few days -- the Wilsons River was no longer expected to spill over a 10.6-metre (35-foot) levee protecting inhabitants, forecasters said.

Paramedic Ginny Burke, 30, said she was at work when the wind uprooted a large gum tree that smashed through the house she is renting in Elanora on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Burke told AFP she returned to her crushed home, where her sister recounted that she had heard the tree fall on Friday evening but described the calamity as "really unexciting".

"What can you do?" the paramedic asked. "It's just stuff. Everyone's safe."

D.Robinson--SFF