The Australian government said on Monday it would activate financial support for workers who lost income due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which has caused widespread flooding, power outages and property damage across the east coast.

Australia's east coast has been pounded by rain, wind and surf for a week, with Brisbane recording its highest daily rainfall in half a century.

This is the sting in Alfred’s tail. These storms are drawing down very warm, moist air from the Coral Sea in the north. If you happen to be under one of these slow-moving thunderstorms, they are getting ready to dump a lot of rain. The situation is very volatile, as the atmosphere is very unstable.

Torrential rain from the remnants of Cyclone Alfred flooded swathes of Australia's east coast, as workers battled to restore power to more than 190,000 homes and businesses.