At least one person died and four remain missing after Tropical Cyclone Alfred battered Australia’s east coast. But its coastal erosion, not human casualties, that have got the country talking. The Gold Coast is known for its smooth,

Residents are stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties ahead of a tropical cyclone that is forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation’s third-most populous city.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has eroded a significant stretch of Gold Coast beaches, leaving escarpments of roughly two meters while sparking calls for major repair efforts.