South Australian emergency services personnel are preparing to answer the call to help interstate as Tropical Cyclone Alfred nears the Queensland coast.
South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales communities face severe weather over the coming days – with heavy rain, strong winds, storm surges and potential flash flooding forecast.
Emergency management support and SA resources have been offered to affected areas across the border, with local volunteers and staff ready to deploy if required amid changing and extreme conditions.
The South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) will lead these efforts, coordinating with the National Resource Sharing Centre as part of a multi-agency approach to support the east coast.
Any resource requests made to the SES, SA Country Fire Service and Metropolitan Fire Service will be determined as the impact of the cyclone is realised.
South Australia has repeatedly shown its commitment across our emergency services to assist interstate agencies.
Nearly 100 volunteers and staff have returned home in recent weeks after providing crisis support to communities across the length and breadth of the country.
This includes around 70 frontline personnel sent to North Queensland last month – helping with flood response in Townsville, Ingham and other parts of the state – in addition to support for Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
The deployments demonstrate the state's ability to quickly respond to requests and work with other agencies while ensuring SA resources can respond to local needs.
As put by Emily Bourke
We are monitoring the situation on the east coast very closely and South Australia stands ready to assist.
Our state has a long track record of stepping up when called upon and this commitment remains stronger than ever.
Preparations are underway and we know dedicated volunteers will once again be willing to help those interstate facing such a significant weather event.
Our thoughts are with the Queensland and New South Wales communities – especially their own emergency services personnel on the frontline.
As put by SES Chief Officer Chris Beattie
Our highly-trained, specialist volunteers and staff remain ready to support and coordinate with emergency response agencies across the country when required.
I thank our dedicated personnel who take time away from their families, friends and jobs to provide emergency assistance locally and interstate, often in challenging weather conditions.
