Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to cross the coast between the Queensland state capital Brisbane and the tourist city of Gold Coast to the south late Thursday or early Friday.

Shops are preparing as Cyclone Alfred nears the Gold Coast, Australia. Footage taken by resident Alex shows businesses closing early on Hastings Street in Noosa, Queensland, on March 5. Shopkeepers also set up sandbags at their doorways in preparation.

Residents are stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties ahead of a tropical cyclone that is forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation’