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Ice Cube, Isla Fisher and Chris Hemsworth are among a number of celebrities trapped in Australia as the country braces for tropical cyclone Alfred to make landfall.
Alfred, due to make landfall early on Saturday, has already brought heavy rain and left nearly 82,000 homes across the Gold Coast and the New South Wales without power. It has also forced Brisbane to halt all public transport and prompted the city airport to suspend operations.
People living in the projected path of the cyclone have been asked to “act now” and evacuate before the situation gets worse. Prime minister Anthony Albanese has urged the public to “be sensible” after TV footage captured surfers riding massive swells and people walking along the shoreline.
“This isn’t a time for sightseeing or for seeing what it’s like to experience these conditions firsthand,” he said. “Please stay safe.”
Forecasters expect the cyclone’s projected path to go through Byron Bay, close to where several celebrities have their homes.
Meteorologists have cautioned it could bring destructive winds of up to 120kmph, life-threatening flash floods, and 8m waves.
American rapper Ice Cube said on Thursday he was stuck inside his hotel in Australia, joking that the local beach could be “in the lobby” at any minute.
“It is pretty cool, I haven’t been through a cyclone before. I can check this off my bucket list for sure,” he said on Australian chat show The Project. “You know, I’m right here on the beach. The beach looks like it is going to be in the lobby in a minute.”
Confessions of a Shopaholic star Isla Fisher shared a picture of herself on Instagram with the caption: “Hunkered down waiting for the cyclone.”
Neighbours star Madeleine West, currently pregnant with her seventh child, said on Instagram she was “proud” to be part of a community that was “never afraid to get its hands dirty”.
“As we wait to see what havoc Alfred wrecks, I’m sending buckets of love to everyone in SE QLD and NE NSW today. No matter what happens, we’ve done it before, we will do it again. And we have each other,” she wrote.
“This is a region that is never afraid to get its hands dirty, or lend a hand to help both friend and stranger. I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
Green Day cancelled what was to be the last show of their Australian Saviors Tour on Wednesday at the Robina Stadium in Gold Coast, Queensland.
Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky could be in the line of fire. The couple reportedly own a mansion worth $50m (£38.8m) in Seven Mile Beach on the south coast of New South Wales.
It is unclear if the actor and his family have evacuated.
Australian TV presenter Karl Stefanovic’s holiday home in Noosa, reportedly worth $3.6m, is also in danger from the cyclone. The Today Show host, who bought the home in 2020, has been reportedly renting it out for $1,000 a night.
Also in the area is the home of former tennis player Pat Rafter in Broken Head.
Bindi Irwin posted a photo of her daughter Grace at the family-owned Australia Zoo, asking followers to “stay safe”.
The 700 acre-zoo is located in Beerwah on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, right in the projected path of the cyclone.
“Here’s a sweet moment to make you smile. With Cyclone Alfred approaching our region, stay safe, and take care of one another,” she wrote.
Some media reports said the zoo was monitoring the cyclone to see if they could stay open over the weekend to ensure the onsite wildlife hospital remained accessible, but the zoo posted an update on Instagram on Thursday announcing they would be closed.
