By **Liam Walsh**, ABC
This Gold Coast home sustained damage from a fallen tree. Photo: ABC / Mackenzie Colahan
Almost 250,000 homes and businesses are without power in Queensland's south-east, even after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred weakened to a tropical low.
Many homes on the sunshine state mainland have been spared from gale-force wind damage, while fears about a massive storm surge from the sea have been alleviated.
But authorities remain concerned about the impact of flooding and thunderstorms, which could bring more damaging wind and heavy rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology's Matthew Collopy said rainfall totals of up to 800 millimetres could occur in some areas over the next 48 hours.
"The primary concern is about heavy rain," he said.
Destruction from the cyclone - a rare event to hit the state's south-east corner - has so far included fallen trees, which have damaged powerlines, and cars and homes.
"We're currently approaching a quarter of a million homes without power," Premier David Crisafulli said.
He said it was "the single biggest loss we have seen in over a decade" - since Cyclone Oswald hit Queensland in 2013.
### Erosion, flooding still of concern
Iconic Queensland beaches on the Gold Coast have been eaten away by coastal erosion, but no loss of life or missing persons have been recorded in the state.
Like the Bureau of Meteorology, authorities are still concerned about the massive amounts of rain falling.
"This could cause rapid flash-flooding which could catch our motorists unaware," Queensland Police Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said.
"This flash-flooding could pose a significant risk to life today, particularly if you drive into floodwaters or play in those floodwaters."
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was downgraded to a tropical low at 6am (local time) on Saturdaty morning.
By about 7.30am the weather system was sitting near the coast of Bribie Island and moving in a north-north-westerly direction.
It dropped from a category two system to a category one as it wobbled into Moreton Island just before midnight on Friday, before blowing through the island around 1am, weakening further as it went.
When asked about whether schools in the south-east would return on Monday, Crisafulli said that would be announced on Sunday.
**_\- ABC_**