Mick Fanning says Chris Hemsworth made Starlink plea for northern NSW
Calls for tech billionaire Elon Musk to intervene in the northern NSW flood disaster have been answered - with a little nudge from two massive Aussie stars.
Lismore
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Lismore mayor Steve Krieg is urging residents to dob in looters as the clean up continues around the Northern Rivers.
He has promised the clean up will get to every street, house and business but is urging patience as the CBD is prioritised for public health reasons.
The mayor asked residents to take care by wearing the right shoes and gloves but to also be kind to each other.
“Tempers are frayed, frustration is setting in,” Mr Krieg said.
“We just have to be kind to one another.
“No one knows what others are going through, so don’t judge, don’t comment, don’t stress, just be kind.”
Mr Krieg asked residents to be weary of goods coming from unreliable sources and asked residents to notify police of looters.
“Unfortunately we’ve had first hand experience, as many have, of people taking what is not theirs, so if you have information, give it to the police,” he said.
Free buses between Lismore and Ballina
Free buses will be operating from Wednesday for flood-affected residents in Lismore and Ballina.
Regional Transport Minister Sam Farraway said the state government had chartered buses to allow residents who had lost everything, including their own transport, to access nearby support facilities.
“We know locals need to move around their neighbourhoods to access support and begin to get back on their feet,” Mr Farraway said.
“So, Transport for NSW is partnering with Resilience NSW, Lismore City Council and Ballina Shire Council to help residents access the support they so desperately need.”
In Lismore, buses will initially run every hour, linking:
- Goonellabah Sports & Aquatic Centre (GSAC);
- Southern Cross University (Evacuation Centre);
- Southern Cross Uni Recovery Centre (V Block);
- Koori Mail (Molesworth Street);
- Dawson Street (opposite the park); and
- Showgrounds (Donated Goods Hub) – beginning Thursday.
In Ballina, buses will initially run every two hours linking these locations with the Recovery Centre:
- North – Lake Ainsworth Sport & Recreation Centre, Lennox Head Community Centre;
- West – Alstonville Community Centre, Ballina Indoor Sports Centre; and
- South – Wardell Pub, Westower Tavern (Kalinga Street).
PM’s promise to visit
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be visiting Lismore on Wednesday after a week of isolation due to Covid-19.
The Prime Minister is expected to make a large funding announcement.
It comes after criticism from residents about the federal government's response to the floods, with one woman urging Mr Morrison to see the devastation first hand after no one was able to help her 69-year-old dad.
ABC Radio has reported he is also expected to declare a national emergency for Northern NSW.
How Aussie stars made internet return to Northern Rivers
Surf legend Mick Fanning’s calls for tech billionaire Elon Musk to intervene in the northern NSW flood disaster have been answered - with a little help from Thor himself.
Internet and telecommunications access will be restored to parts of the devastated region on from Tuesday, with Brisbane-based company Netvault donating 10 SpaceX Starlink devices.
Mr Fanning, who joined mass rescue efforts alongside his group of mates and members of the public, this week called for Starlink to be introduced to the disaster zone through an impassioned tweet, describing the tragedy as a “humanitarian crisis.”
Though he did not hear directly from Musk, Byron Bay local Chris Hemsworth was more than happy to answer the call: “It was pretty wild, I got asked to throw out a tweet and I didn’t even know how to use Twitter at that point,” Mr Fanning laughed.
“The tweet went out in the morning and I got a message from Chris that basically said he had an email going right now and that’s sort of how it happened.”
“(His) agent knew one of the major bosses at Starlink and he put me in touch with her.
“If it wasn’t for Chris and Chris’s agent finding someone we probably wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.”
Starlink’s Julia DeWahl facilitated the good deed, ultimately resulting in 10 much-needed terminals being deployed to the Northern Rivers only hours after Fanning first put the call out.
“I can’t take any credit, it’s more the people that put me in touch with Julia,” he said.
“At this point I’ve got no problem in calling anyone if they can possibly help out.
“Julia and the crew were incredible, I can’t say enough good words about her, the team and the business,” a humble Mr Fanning said.
Netvault senior consultant Radek Tkaczyk visited Lismore on Tuesday to donate the terminals which were quickly en route to some of the worst-affected areas.
“These Starlink terminals provide internet connections that are 10 times faster than what you can get with NBN satellite service, so it will be of huge benefit to those people in crisis centres,” Mr Tkaczyk said.
The terminals will allow emergency workers and isolated residents to communicate with the outside world for the first time in nine days.
Asked whether StarLink should introduce protocol to intervene in natural disasters without being called upon, he said: “It shouldn’t be up to the private sector and the general public to have to resort to tweeting to Elon Musk for assistance.”
The terminals will remain in place until recovery efforts are complete. Where the devices wind up permanently will be determined by Mr Fanning and his team.
Man missing from Lismore evacuation centre found
A 76-year-old reported last seen at a Lismore evacuation centre on February 28 has been found safe and well on Tuesday morning.
Officers from Richmond Police Area Command were notified when Gary Taylor could not be located or contacted and started inquiries into his whereabouts.
Mr Taylor was located safe and well on Union Street, South Lismore, about 11.45am on Tuesday.
Police thank the public and media for their assistance.
Mayor’s warning on flood recovery
The clean-up and restoration of key services including power and road access is going to take weeks, not days, the mayor has warned amid renewed warnings of infections from the muck.
Cr Steve Krieg said power is slowly returning but in some cases it could take weeks.
“Patience is required! We’re doing everything we can but it’s going to take time.’’
The Australian Defence Force is bringing hundreds more troops into northern New South Wales with the focus on more isolated areas which have been completely cut off.
The council has urged patience, saying everything that can be done is being done to help residents in the aftermath of what has been described as a national disaster.
Mobile banks are being set up in the CBD in Browns Street carpark and they are expected to be operational by Tuesday or Wednesday.
While the state and federal government has announced funding support for individuals, businesses and farmers, residents who escaped the floodwater with nothing say they cannot access it with proper identification.
While climate change experts say Lismore residents and businesses should be moved to higher ground, the mayor is not a fan of the idea.
““Forty years ago people tried to do it but what you have to understand is that Lismore people love Lismore. They don’t want it to move or be taken away from them.
“Lismore has an identity all its own. I don’t believe it’s the answer.”
Meanwhile, as the massive clean-up continues, the council and health authorities are warning there are a lot of people getting infected cuts and needing hospital treatment. People involved in clean-ups should wear proper footwear, gloves and protective clothing and be aware of potential hazards.
400kg of sausages, 200 loaves of bread donated
Woolworths has delivered 400kg of sausages, 200 loaves of bread and bottled water to the Lismore Evacuation Centre run by The Salvation Army and to the Stockpot Kitchen, a restaurant in Lismore used as a space where residents can drop by for food - with further deliveries to arrive today.
Through BIG W, Woolworths Group has also delivered more than 1,000 storage containers to the Lismore Showgrounds to be distributed to various evacuation centres to help those impacted by floods store their belongings.
Product limits currently apply in the following Northern NSW stores to ensure more customers can access essentials (some stores remain closed): Ballina Fair, Ballina River Street, Byron Bay, Cabarita, Casino, Goonellabah, Kingscliff, Lennox Head, Lismore Central, Lismore Square, Mullumbimby, Tweed Heads, Tweed City.
Fanning’s call to Musk prompts response to connect locals
After hearing calls for help, Netvault Senior Systems Consultant Radek Tkaczyk decided to donate more than 10 Starlink Rapid Deployment Kits – worth about $10,000, to some of the worst-affected areas in the Northern Rivers.
The move will allow locals to contact family, friends, first responders and disaster management.
The donation comes after surfing legend Mick Fanning called on tech billionaire Elon Musk to use his SpaceX Starlink satellite network to provide internet and telecommunications coverage to the region.
Large sections of it are still without power a week after the deadly downpours.
Terminals are being deployed to places like Upper Wilsons Creek and Upper Main Arm that are still isolated due to recurring landslides.
Fanning has been on the front line since floods hit on February 28, seen helping rescue people on his jet ski.
And he’s not the only celebrity who’s been helping out.
The brothers of Thor megastar Chris Hemsworth have joined tennis legend Pat Rafter in massive community-led clean-up efforts in Lismore just up the road from their Byron Bay homes.
Luke and Liam Hemsworth, along with Rafter have been snapped by grateful locals, who hope the post will shame authorities into a bigger government response to the crisis.
Byron based musician Ziggy Alberts has also been deploying plane loads of resources to flood ravaged Ballina along with helping flood-affected areas in South East Queensland.
Surfing icon Kelly Slater has labelled the Federal government’s handling of the floods in northern NSW and southeast Queensland “nothing short of appalling”.
Slater condemned the fact local communities have been left to do far too much of the clean up job on their own.
Woodburn SES rescue as unit inundated, truck destroyed
NSW SES Woodburn Unit volunteers have continued to wade through the challenges, rescuing a community member trapped by floodwaters as their own unit was inundated and truck destroyed.
Volunteers forged on to rescue and evacuate locals through the height of the incident, and still ongoing as the waters have receded.
Incident Control Centre at Goonellabah has helped by providing an operational rescue truck and essential supplies such as water, PPC and personal hygiene items.
With capability restored and mobile unit on the way to strengthen their comms, these steadfast volunteers are back out in force, helping their neighbours with requests for assistance, rescue and resupply.
As the road clears, further support can return to Woodburn, one of the many communities that has been hit hard in the Northern River’s Region.
Ballina SES praises volunteer of 38 years
Ballina SES Unit Commander Gerry, who has been volunteering for 38 years, has never seen anything like the destruction wrought by the extreme weather that tore down the coast.
When the first warning was issued two days before the weather arrived, the NSW SES Ballina Unit began preparing. Sandbagging and doorknocking, the team moved through the community urging people to follow the Evacuation Order.
Gerry is proud of his 40 members, as well as the local residents.
“The community have been highly responsive and patient while we work through the huge amount of requests,” he said.
“We would like to thank the Ballina residents for their support, including their generous donations of food. Thank you also to the many services who have readily assisted.”
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