Memories of the last cyclone to hit southeast Queensland more than 50 years ago spurred Russell Field into action.
He arrived at a sandbagging site in Capalaba on Wednesday hoping to get enough to safeguard his home ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred's arrival.
He ended up staying to help others as they battled to shovel sand, including the elderly and a local with a colostomy bag.
"It's better exercise than walking," the local Liberal National Party MP told AAP.
A council worker said it had been "chaos" all morning, running out of bags with traffic jams in the car park.
The huge demand prompted the Brisbane City Council to open more sites on Wednesday, with the federal government pledging an extra 250,000 sandbags for the region.
Mr Field kept working away as Alfred loomed, expected to make landfall on Thursday or early Friday.
It will be the first system to hit the southeast coast since Cyclone Zoe in 1974 - a landmark event Mr Field can still remember.
"Back in those days we thought we'd go look at the flooding so we got in our cars and drove out but that was an eye-opener," he said.
Queensland's southeast is in the firing line with the cyclone's predicted arrival on Friday morning coinciding with a high tide.
About 20,000 properties are expected to be impacted by flooding in the Brisbane area alone, prompting a warning for locals to consider relocating.
It ensured a big appetite for sandbags with nearby Moreton Bay Council going through 2,600 tonnes of sand and another 800 tonnes delivered on Wednesday.
More than 200,000 sandbags were distributed by the council before an extra 40,000 were delivered on Wednesday.
Demand was so high that some tried to turn a cheeky profit.
Local mayor Peter Flannery couldn't hide his disappointment when he told ABC Radio someone had taken sandbags and tried reselling them on Facebook for $20 each.
Sites began shutting down late on Wednesday as Alfred approached, with more than 400,000 sandbags collected or filled since Friday in Brisbane City Council alone.
Mr Field hoped the sandbagging frenzy was worth it, keeping his fingers crossed it would safeguard homes.
"We can't control what's going to happen but always prepare for it," he said.
"There will be a lot of people who say in hindsight they didn't have to do what they did but it's better to do it just in case to avoid heartache later down the track."
