Police launch warning over Bundaberg and Burnett disaster season

Emergency services are pleading with people in the Bundaberg and Burnett communities to prepare now, with predictions forecasting a worrying wet season followed by fire danger.

The Bundaberg and Burnett regions could see frightening wet weather as a la nina system looms from November to January, followed by fire danger.

Emergency service and local government representatives gathered in Bundaberg on Thursday to warn locals they need to plan now because by the time weather systems form, it’s too late.

Police Inspector and Bundaberg District Disaster Management Group chair Grant Marcus addressed media ahead of a forum at Bundaberg Police Station where he warned of potential future weather systems.

The meeting will be the last before the storm season settles in.

“We predict it will be quite wet, and we want to make sure that we’re ready to respond and to help the community should it be affected,” he said.

Inspector Marcus said the region had a large amount of rain during the spring, leaving dams and creeks full.

“We have potential for types of flooding, hopefully nothing major, but we are making sure that we are prepared for that,” he said.

Inspector Marcus said 2010, 2011 and 2013 were examples of how serious flooding could be.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Bundaberg region zone commander Andrew Sbrizzi, Police Inspector and Bundaberg District Disaster Management Group chair Grant Marcus and North Burnett councillor and disaster management chair Melinda Jones address media ahead of the region’s storm season.

He said it was important to remember that small towns could be affected just as much as cities, and that areas such as Dallarnil in the North Burnett, which was recently affected by severe weather, was an example of that.

Inspector Marcus said newcomers needed to familiarise themselves with their locations now.

“They should be talking to their neighbours, going to their councils, looking on the internet to see what sort of flood risks or fire risks they might have,” he said.

“ … understand what that means to them in their street and in their house and that they’ve got a plan in place should they have a large bushfire that affects them, should they get flooded, (that) they’ve got a plan in place …”

Inspector Marcus said road safety was a huge concern with the incoming season.

“Last year we certainly saw a lot of people drive through flooded roads and we saw a number of people who became trapped and we even had some people pass away as a result of that,” he said.

“The message was out there – if it’s flooded forget it. Back it up if you see flooded waters.

“We don’t want to see a repeat of what we saw last season where we have motorists driving through flooded roads.”

The disaster management meeting was the final one for the year.

High rainfalls could be a concern for the North Burnett

North Burnett councillor and disaster management chair Melinda Jones said the North Burnett’s catchment was extremely full from recent wet weather.

“Normally we wouldn’t be concerned (about rainfall), but at this present time with the way the catchment is, any high levels of rainfall is a concern,” she said.

Ms Jones encouraged people to access the emergency preparation information on their local government websites and be alert but not alarmed.

“We should be prepared for any event regardless of whether it’s a rain event or a cyclone or even a fire. Our regions are at risk of climatic impact,” she said.

Ms Jones said the council was still cleaning up after recent weather events in the North Burnett, including strong winds that left debris strewn around the region.

The Bundaberg and Burnett regions can expect a wetter than average summer.

Region could face battle of the elements

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Bundaberg region zone commander Andrew Sbrizzi spoke about the risk of water and fire.

He said QFES had been carrying out regular training which included real-life simulations of disaster situations.

Mr Sbrizzi said there were no particular areas of concern because all areas could fall prey to the weather.

“Forecasting can be difficult. We only have to look back a couple of weeks where the provocation of intensity of thunder and rain storms escalated very quickly,” he said.

The QFES says its ready to respond to anything that comes at the region during summer.

“QFES feel we’re ready to respond to anything that comes.”

Mr Sbrizzi said when the la nina system drops around January, the region will have to deal with the regular fire season.

Bush and scrub fires could form quickly where water has nourished the ground.

“It’s going to be an interesting season,” he said.

Mr Sbrizzi said a new fire warning system was also in place that gave people real-time information on fire danger.

He reminded people to stay out of floodwaters, to check QFES websites for disaster information and to call SES on 132 500 if assistance is needed.

Bureau data backs up concerns

The Bureau of Meteorology’s cyclone outlook revealed the Eastern region, which includes the Wide Bay, has a 74 per cent chance of a higher than average number of cyclones forming during the typical season.

On top of that, cyclones are likely to form sooner than usual.

The long-range outlook for Bundaberg and the Burnett predicts more rainfall than usual, and cooler than average temperatures for Bundaberg.