Jay Weatherill: Be proud of South Australia’s stoic spirit in the floods aftermath

IT has been a tough week for SA. Days after heavy rains caused widespread flooding across Adelaide, our state was battered by catastrophic weather the likes of which has never been recorded, writes Jay Weatherill.

IT has been a tough week for South Australia.

Just days after heavy rains caused widespread flooding across Adelaide, our state was battered by catastrophic weather the likes of which the Bureau of Meteorology had never before recorded.

Twin tornadoes ripped through the Mid North, causing devastating damage. More than 80,000 lightning strikes knocked down trees and hit power generators. And then there was the rain.

The images we saw in The Advertiser and on our TV screens were almost hard to believe — homes destroyed, rivers bursting and agricultural lands flooded.

As Premier, the regular updates I received from our emergency services made it clear that every single South Australian was affected in some way by the storm.

But the devastation would have been far worse were it not for the spirit of the South Australian people.

For me, this spirit was on display wherever I looked — from communities helping to fill sandbags, to strangers offering to remove debris from people’s homes.

Two encounters I had last week really stood out.

The first was in Port Lincoln — a tough and beautiful part of our state, where Olympic gold medallists are born. There I met Wendy Sky and her seven-year-old son, Shilo, who has diabetes. Port Lincoln had been without power for nearly 48 hours, and Wendy was taking refuge in the local Relief Centre so she could keep her son’s medication on ice. Her resilience in the face of this challenge was admirable and remarkable.

Pictures: Floods devastate parts of SA

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The second encounter occurred at the Two Wells Community Club, which was “ground zero” for our flood response on Saturday. There I met three siblings who were members of the local scouts, Allan, Jasmine and James. These children were doing their bit for the relief effort by ferrying supplies, like water and sunscreen, to SES volunteers and members of the 7th Battalion as they filled tens of thousands of sandbags.

They showed us that community spirit can exist within people of all ages.

Behind the scenes, stories reflecting this spirit were unfolding across the state.

Even as the power went out on Wednesday night, South Australians remained stoic. The Commissioner of Police told me there were fewer road accidents last Wednesday night than on a normal week night — a testament to the patience and courtesy of tens of thousands of people trying to get home from work in trying conditions.

On Friday night, volunteers and residents performed what I am told was a “herculean effort” to build a sandbag levy to protect Port Wakefield. While many of us were safe and warm at home, these heroic South Australians were doing what they do best — looking after one another.

As a state, we should be proud of the way we responded to this challenge.

I am confident our emergency response agencies were well prepared for this challenge, with response and recovery being well co-ordinated across regional and local strike teams.

Our regular and accurate updates from the Bureau of Meteorology were also critical during this period.

It is too early to know the full cost of the storm, but we expect it will be in the tens of millions of dollars. The emotional cost of these events is always significant.

My sympathies extend to everyone who was affected — be it financially, physically or emotionally. While some people will be able to pick themselves up from the canvas quickly, for many others, the recovery process will take months.

As it always does after a major natural disaster, the State Government will review its response, and where it can make improvements, it will.

In the meantime, I thank every South Australian who helped our response efforts. We are extremely grateful for the work of our emergency services — be they paid or volunteer. We are also thankful for the generous offers of support from community groups, businesses and our interstate counterparts.

Together we responded to this emergency, and together we will recover. ​