How Cyclone Alfred response stacked up compared with Jasper
Thousands of troops, choppers and ADF vehicles were deployed to the southeast before a breath of wind was felt while in the North flood ravaged communities had to wait until it was almost too late. Theories have now emerged as to why.
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Leaders have blasted officials for deploying the army to southeast Queensland before the cyclone neared the coast while flood ravaged communities in the north had to wait until it was almost too late.
Cyclone Alfred crossed the mainland coast about 9pm on Saturday, March 8 near Caboolture as a tropical low.
On the same day two hours before, the Australian Defence Force announced the activation of a vast resource in response to “a number of requests”.
The first deployment was made up of more than 2000 troops, 90 high-clearance vehicles and helicopters to southeast Queensland centres and the Northern Rivers area of NSW.
The following Monday 500 personnel were deployed to Queensland and nearly 700 to Northern NSW to help in evacuation centres with stretchers, clearing fallen trees and fill sandbags from Murwillumbah to Pottsville and Tweed Heads.
Three CH-47F Chinook lift helicopters and two AW-139 search and rescue rotary-wing aircraft were placed “on-call” by Wednesday, March 12.
Fifteen months on from Tropical Cyclone Jasper, funding is yet to be finalised for recovery work at the Ellis Beach foreshore, Holloways Beach, Machans Beach, Ryan Weare Park, the Ivan Evans walk, Lake Placid and Kewarra Beach.
When Jasper crossed the coast north of Cairns at Wujal Wujal at 8pm on Wednesday December 13, 2023, there was no ADF response until after Far North rivers broke their banks.
The unprecedented deluge that followed caused widespread flooding throughout the Barron, Annan and Bloomfield river catchments.
Military flood boats were sent into Holloways and Machans beaches midmorning on Monday December 18 after civilians in reef boats and jetskis rescued residents on Sunday night.
And when the deluge finally stopped army CH-47F Chinooks and AW139 helicopters were also deployed to Wujal Wujal to evacuate up to 300 people to an emergency shelter in Cooktown.
James Cook University disaster expert professor Jon Nott said a number of elements combined to influence the speed and scale of the southeast’s emergency response to Cyclone Alfred.
“It looked to me that things were happening well and truly before any disaster occurred,” he said.
“The one thing I noticed is how much media coverage days beforehand and days after.
“I didn’t count them but The Conversation has 6-10 articles on Cyclone Alfred, and there is only one article on the December floods (in 2023) and Townsville floods in 2019.
“That may have provided political (motivation) to get more help in getting assets deployed.”
Also at play was the expected announcement of the federal election and the first Queensland disaster season under the leadership of Premier David Crisafulli.
“The Prime Minister went to Brisbane before it made landfall,” he said.
“I think that made a big difference and we had a new state government in and it was important for the Premier to look like he was on top of things.
“Premiers can be made or broken depending on their response to disasters, if you come across as being strong and empathetic during a disaster, you win the vote and you win favour with the people.”
Cairns Local Disaster Management Group chair Terry James said the deployment of the army after the flooding of beach side suburbs in 2023 was a “bit of a surprise”.
“So everyone got caught at the last minute, it started off as a cyclone and then we ended up with a flood and then it just rained in one spot,” he said.
“I think there was a lot learnt out of Jasper.”
Many Far Northerners were frustrated to hear Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on the ABC’s 7.30 program on March 6 pledging ADF support during “Brisbane’s time of need”.
“What we had there was a cyclone which was developing off a major population centre, it was inevitable that there would be a call made on defence,” Mr Marles said when asked about the imbalance on ABC radio.
“We plan for events, I mean we plan for the disaster season. So, in that sense it’s not like we are sitting there doing our thing and then suddenly someone rings.
“Responding to natural disasters is not the primary function of Defence and over the medium-term we are working to see that Defence is the last port of call.
“But to be clear, when the call for support is made, Defence will always be there.”
However, the Defence Minister said the process had to start with civil authorities reaching out for help and stating what support is required.
Deputy chair of the Cairns Local Disaster Management Group Brett Olds also noticed a stark difference in the way the two disasters were handled, including the offering of Category D funding in the aftermath of Alfred which was withheld for victims of ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.
“It’s bullsh*t is a different standard, I’m not upset they are funding their beach (regeneration) on the Gold Coast but let’s have the same up here,” he said.
The deputy mayor said despite being told ADF requests for assistance ought to be a last resort he would not hesitate in asking for boots on the ground based on the army’s involvement in preparation and recovery before and after the Cyclone Alfred event.
“I would absolutely reach out, how about next time we have a disaster up here let’s have the ADF on speed dial,” he said.
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