Leisa and Sarah Menyweather call for more reliable telecommunications after horrifying ordeal

Unable to communicate when they needed it most, residents who were left terrified in their homes during ex-tropical cyclone Alfred ask whether enough was done to mitigate the impact.

Leisa Menyweather and her disabled daughter Sarah Menyweather concerned about recent failures in communications during the cyclone. Picture Glenn Hampson

Three weeks on from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, a Gold Coast mother whose daughter has complex needs is reflecting - like many thousands left without power at telecommunications - on the terrifying ordeal.

While now their focus is on moving forward, Leisa Menyweather said the cyclone exposed failures and weak spots in telecommunication infrastructure which could have put her daughter’s life at risk.

“Sarah has a really complex, high-needs disability,” Ms Menyweather said.

Leisa Menyweather and her daughter, Sarah Menyweather. Picture: Glenn Hampson

When their home in the Currumbin Valley was plunged into darkness on Thursday March 6, and their phones switched to SOS only, generators were able to take over the life-support equipment Sarah needs, but Ms Menyweather was “terrified.”

On the advice of emergency services, she tuned into the ABC, but there was little information about whether local roads were passable, or when things might come back online.

She said in the event her daughter had a seizure, which was a very real possibility, Ms Menyweather said she was in the dark as to how far from help they were.

“We didn’t know if an ambulance could get to us and we couldn’t get out,” she said.

“Our other contingency is to take her to John Flynn private hospital … but they lost power too.”

Ms Menyweather said the generator was enough to power Sarah’s life support equipment, but powering everything she needs for mobility was an impossible task.

Sarah Menyweather lives with a complex, high-needs disability and needs access to electricity for mobility. Picture: contributed

Ms Menyweather uses a bed, lounge chair, wheelchair and hoist all powered by electricity which give her mobility and freedom.

She said nine days without power was significantly less manageable while the network was also down.

“There was so much talk of preparation but it was all just lip service,” she said.

Without access to electricity or the mobile network, Sarah Menyweather’s life was at risk. Picture: contributed

Major telco providers on the Gold Coast, Telstra and Optus, said network outages were caused by widespread power outages.

During the event, more than 400 Telstra mobile sites were disrupted, Telstra regional general manager, May Boisen, said.

“Our teams on the ground worked closely with authorities to get in and restore affected services as soon as possible when it was safe to do so, and the majority of services were back online within a few days,” Ms Boisen said.

“Our network sites have backup systems, using a variety of technologies, that continued to keep many services running long after the power went out.

“Our network sites can use the same amount of power as ten homes every day though, so disruptions will occur if power’s out for a long time in your area, or if access is cut to a site.

“Ahead of Alfred, we assessed at-risk areas and moved temporary power generators into staging locations where they were ready to be deployed quickly, so we could bring service back online while mains power was being restored.”

About 120,000 Optus customers experienced service interruptions during the cyclone, a spokeswoman for Optus said.

“Across cyclone impacted areas a total of 1,268 Optus mobile sites were impacted, with a peak of 285 sites down due to power-related outages.

“In many cases, access to sites was restricted due to flooding, fallen trees, and road closures, making some restoration efforts more complex.

“Our network teams, field technicians and contractors worked around the clock , to safely restore services and ensure communities could reconnect as quickly as possible as power was restored and when it was safe to do so.”

She said Optus took steps in preparation for ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred including readying generators for deployment and pre-positioning mobile base stations in Brisbane and Coffs Harbour.

Emergency calls made while on SOS only will go through, if another carrier is available, she said.

The Australian Communication and Media Authority, the regulator for the telecommunications industry, does not impose specific regulations requiring telcos to have backup power sources at their sites, a spokesman for the ACMA said.

Originally published as Leisa and Sarah Menyweather call for more reliable telecommunications after horrifying ordeal