Simulated cyclone and flooding scenario puts Disaster Coordination Centre to the test
A tropical cyclone pummels North Queensland and three times the volume of rain of the 2019 monsoon event hits Townsville – that is what the disaster management team are prepared for this wet season.
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A tropical cyclone has hit North Queensland and three times the volume of rain that fell on the city during the 2019 monsoon event has hit Townsville.
That is the scenario that put Townsville’s disaster management team to the test ahead of the wet season.
A “cast of hundreds” gathered in Townsville to run through a simulated cyclone and flooding event to ensure the city was prepared for the approaching high-risk weather season.
Able to withstand a Category 5 cyclone, the custom-built $8.5m Local Disaster Coordination Centre (LDCC) in Garbutt swings into action every year to help agencies hone their skills in preparation for a real disaster.
The team being put through their paces from the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group (TLDMG) representatives included Townsville City Council, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Bureau of Meteorology, Ergon, Australian Defence Force representatives, communication experts and evacuation specialists.
The LDCC was tested by Exercise Atlantis, a scenario where the city was struck by a severe tropical cyclone and Ross River Dam was overtopped by three times the volume of rain that fell during the 2019 monsoon event.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said they would test capabilities around evacuations, providing safe places for refuge, and moving into a recovery phase.
“(It’s an) opportunity for everyone to brush up on their skills on communicating important information to the public, decision making processes, information sharing between agencies, evacuation planning, and determining recovery priorities for our community based on the scenario,” she said.
“Representatives from the Department of Regional Development Manufacturing and Water (Dam Regulators) were here to witness our TLDMG in action with the scenario they were faced with.”
She said it was compulsory for all Queensland Local Disaster Management Groups to carry out an annual training exercise.
A core member of the LDMG, Townsville Police Acting Superintendent Dean Cavanagh said they had several officers participating and observing.
“This exercise is absolutely integral to looking at our own internal functions but more importantly the relationships and networks with all stakeholders and other emergency services,” Superintendent Cavanagh said.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Superintendent Kevin Anderson said they were working to ensure their operational phase activities dovetailed into what the LDMG was doing to ensure the safety of the public.
He urged residents to begin preparing their cyclone kits with radios, batteries, freshwater and food that won’t go off.
For more information on preparing for the high-risk weather season, go to the council’s website.
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Originally published as Simulated cyclone and flooding scenario puts Disaster Coordination Centre to the test
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