Mayor ‘stuck in US' after Vegas trip
Acting Gold Coast City Council Mayor Donna Gates has defended Mayor Tom Tate for being missing-in-action as the city prepares for an imminent battering of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The longtime mayor remains in Los Angeles on holidays with his wife, Ruth Tate, however a council source said six attempts to return to Queensland have been thwarted by cancelled flights.
It's understood Mr Tate has been on personal leave since February 21, where he attended the NRL Magic Round in Las Vegas as a guest of Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys.
Prior to the cyclone, Mr Tate had been scheduled to return from leave on Thursday, and has been attempting to return from the United States since Sunday.
However the council source stressed all tickets had been paid for personally by Mr Tate, and were not funded by rate payers.
A booked flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane on Saturday night was cancelled on Friday due to TC Alfred's expected landfall on Saturday morning.
As it stands, Brisbane Airport has also suspended both incoming and outgoing flights until further notice.
Mr Tate is now booked on a flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, and hoping to return to the Gold Coast by Sunday, weather permitting.
In statement, Ms Gates, who has been fronting media daily, said Mr Tate had been kept up to date on the cyclone's movements.
'The Mayor has made several attempts to get home but unfortunately all those flights have been cancelled,' she said.
'He is as up to date as I am on all cyclone developments. I have personally spoken to him several times and sent him every situation report as they come through multiple times daily.'
With the category 2 cyclone just hours away from crossing the coast, residents in southeast Queensland and NSW's Northern Rivers have been warned of damaging winds of up to 155km/h and the risk of significant flooding.
More than 41,000 homes and business in Queensland have lot power, with about 43,000 homes in northern NSW, with residents expected to be pelted with days of rain, with daily totals feared between 200mm to 400mm.
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