Nobody can stop a natural disaster, but with a little preparedness, we can definitely save millions of lives. Be it hurricanes Helene and Milton that caused havoc in the US a few months ago, or be it bushfires in Australia that happen almost every year, damaging a lot of forest reserves or habitats of the animals, we have seen plenty of them in the last few months. Recently, there have been reports coming out from Australia claiming a “rare” category 2 cyclone, Alfred, is heading towards Queensland and New South Wales. Shortly after hearing this news, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, expressed her concern for the same through a social media post.
As per the reports published by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Cyclone Alfred is currently located about 325km east of Brisbane. It’s moving towards the southeast Queensland coast at around 16 kmph. The cyclone is expected to make its landfall on Thursday or Friday at the north of Brisbane. According to the weather reports, it’ll bring more than half a meter of rain and destructive winds, and there are high chances of flood as well. Not only that, Tropical Cyclone Alfred could bring winds up to 155km/hr!
Several residents on the projected path of this cyclone have already been asked to “act now” and leave before the situation gets much worse. Brisbane is Australia’s third-largest city. Its population is around 2.5 million, and according to various news sources, the trains, buses, and ferry services have already started to shut down. Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales were last hit by a cyclone in 1974, and the last time a cyclone threatened to hit Brisbane was in 1990. However, the city narrowly escaped at that time.
This time, the situation looks a bit worrisome, and after seeing this update, Serena Williams’ former coach tweeted, “Sending my love to everyone in the path of the #CycloneAlfred heading towards Northern NSW, Brisbane & Gold Coast areas. Stay safe, everyone.” Authorities have already raised an alarm about heavy rainfall, which could also lead to life-threatening flash flooding. Queensland Premier, David Crisafulli, said, “This is a very rare event for southeast Queensland … it has been many decades since this part of the state experienced [a cyclone].“
Sending my love to everyone in the path of the #CycloneAlfred heading towards Northern NSW, Brisbane & Gold Coast areas. Stay safe everyone.
— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) March 5, 2025
Even Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already offered to “provide whatever resources are required” for the state government to carry out the rescue operations. According to Jonathan How, the Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist, “The location of landfall will be critical because we are expecting to see the worst of the impacts, or most significant impacts, on the southern flank of the cyclone. That does include places like Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and also the Northern Rivers.“
Several families in Queensland and New South Wales have already been warned about possible power cuts after its landfall. This gives us an indication of the danger that looms for all the residents in that area during that phase. Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, is a resident of Sydney, and her tweet reflects how worried the people in that area are about Cyclone Alfred.
Is it the first time, though, that we’ve seen Stubbs putting up a tweet surrounding a natural calamity? Well, although she is a Sydney resident, Serena Williams’ former coach also spends quite a significant amount of time in Tampa, Florida. So, last year when Hurricane Helene ripped through Florida, we saw Stubbs expressing her pain and concern for those who were affected by that natural disaster.
“Praying for everyone” – Serena Williams’ former coach expressing her concerns for people who were affected by a similar storm last year
During the times of Hurricane Helene and Mitton, we saw several tennis stars like Stubbs joining hands, sharing their thought,s and raising concerns about the Floridians on social media. For example, after seeing massive destruction in the state, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, tweeted, “My friends, parents cottage in Florida. Sending so much love to everyone down in my old hometowns.”
Even Danielle Collins had joined her that time, she wrote, “Praying for everyone affected by this awful storm.” After that, when another Category 5 storm, Milton, hit the coast, Coco Gauff and Chris Evert came forward and offered their prayers for the Floridians. Gauff shared an IG story with the caption, “Please Stay Safe Florida.“ Former tennis player Evert was spotted asking all her fellow Floridians to take the warning seriously and evacuate the risk-prone areas.
Not only during hurricanes/cyclones but even during the recent Los Angeles forest fire, we saw the tennis world joining hands to show love and affection to those people who were affected. For example, the former world number one Naomi Osaka came up with a tweet saying, “Hope everyone in LA is staying safe .” Apart from Osaka, even tennis legends like Martina Navratilova and Maria Sharapova showcased their concerns on social media.
Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, also took to social media to share a message for the people who were affected by this massive forest fire. Ohanian wrote, “PLEASE take this seriously, stay safe, and if you’re not in LA, check in on loved ones. The photos/updates I’m getting are gutting.” American tennis player Taylor Fritz even donated his first-round win prize money at the AO ($82,000) to the LA Relief Fund. So, there have been many such instances in the last few months where we have seen the tennis world stepping up and showing their support in times of severe incidents like these.
The post “Stay Safe”: Devastating Cyclone Alfred’s Wrath Moves Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach to Offer Strength to the Affected appeared first on EssentiallySports.
