Cyclone Alfred struck the Queensland coast on Saturday morning (local time) marking region’s first summer storm since 1974. Storm brought wind speeds of up to 95 km/h severely impacting around 4 million residents across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Cyclone caused massive power outages leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and hospitals without electricity. Several riverside areas were submerged under six to nine feet of storm surge. BBC reports indicate children playing outside despite floodwaters while many residents navigated through the submerged streets.

Emergency response teams are currently working to remove fallen trees and repair damaged power lines. Local authorities have announced that all schools expected to reopen on Monday.

Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast international airports are likely to resume normal operations by Sunday.

“The impacts are already being felt and there worse to come in the hours ahead,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a news conference from the National Situation Room in Canberra.

“Its impact will be serious and will intensify over coming hours and indeed over the coming days, it will still bring strong winds, heavy rain, flooding and dangerous conditions across South East Queensland and North East, New South Wales over this weekend and in the days beyond,” he said.

“Our ADF [Australian Defence Force] heroes were on their way to help Australians in need,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement noting some had been “seriously” injured.

Albanese earlier on Saturday had addressed the nation from the capital Canberra, saying millions of residents were “well-prepared” but “we must remain vigilant.”