Valerie drove her bright red Suzuki into the eye of Alfred. Now she's heading home to the northern rivers

Experience has taught many residents in flood-prone areas around Lismore and northern New South Wales the value of leaving earlyEx-Tropical Cyclone Alfred LIVE: latest news and updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastValerie Thompson is heading home to Brunswick Heads in an hour. The 52-year-old lives in a low-lying area just north of Byron Bay and was among those who got out early before Tropical Cyclone Alfred.The idea that the climate crisis may generate a cyclone that ploughs into south-east Queensland was already a "nightmare scenario" for the country's insurance industry - the same companies that wanted to charge Thompson $30,000 a year to insure her home. If they were taking it seriously, why shouldn't she?Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...