LABRADOR, Australia: Ex-Cyclone Alfred stalled off the rain- and wind-lashed coast of eastern Australia on Saturday, threatening to unleash floods after blacking out more than 330,000 homes and businesses.

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. Meanwhile, two army trucks on a storm aid deployment in eastern Australia collided on Saturday, injuring 36 people, with some rushed to multiple hospitals, emergency services and police said. Australian Defense Force personnel were injured when the trucks crashed southwest of the flood-prone city of Lismore, New South Wales police said in a statement.

Police sent specialist rescue units to the scene while the state’s ambulance service dispatched teams of paramedics including two helicopters, officials said. “A total of 36 patients was the last count I had,” said a spokesman for New South Wales Ambulance, adding that some of the injured were taken to four hospitals.

The spokesman said he was not authorized to give further details of the defense personnel’s condition.

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.

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.” — AFP