Former Tropical Cyclone Alfred continued to dump heavy rain across large parts of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) while moving inland, inundating roads and leaving tens of thousands of households without power as hundreds of schools remained shut, local media reported Monday.

Significant damage and power outages are possible in the densely populated region of Queensland, where tropical cyclones impacts are not uncommon but direct landfalls are.

Millions of people on Australia’s east coast are bracing for their first tropical cyclone in more than five decades as authorities urge residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate their homes. Storm warnings affected millions of people on Wednesday along more than 500km (311 miles) of coastline in the states of Queensland and New South Wales amid warnings that Tropical Cyclone Alfred could bring winds of up to 155km/h (96mph).