IGEM Report 1: 2017-18 - THE CYCLONE DEBBIE REVIEW

The Cyclone Debbie Review

State-level operations

Preparedness

By March 2017, at a state level, much work had been done to prepare for disaster events such as Debbie. Whole-of-government operational response capabilities are coordinated through the SDCC. In 2014 an improvement strategy was developed for the structure, operations and activities of the Centre. The strategy outlined key deliverables across three streams, People, Place and Processes. It, and its implementation roadmap, included the establishment of senior partnerships between QFES and QPS, organisational and physical changes, and clearer governance reinforcing the authority of the permanently-appointed SDC to coordinate the disaster response operations for the state group. 70 Prior to Debbie forming into a cyclone, we observe that sound procedures were in place, backed up by good – though not perfect – technical systems, and people well prepared to deal with the developing weather. Although the new improvements had been untested in a big event, we note that, overall, the Centre knew what to expect and how to deal with it. A later, transparent and honest debrief of the SDCC cell leaders echoed these findings. One small note of caution raised by staff in the Centre itself, both before and after the event, was the sustainability of the Public Information Cell for a big event. Despite the DPC’s maintenance of a Critical Incident Reserve Pool of media staff, 71 it had been difficult over the previous year to find appropriate people to train. Those very capable officers staffing the system were aware of their lack of depth. At state-level, pre-season preparation went well beyond the Centre, and involved agencies from across government. We have already commented on how the Standing Order – Operation Fortitude – characterised the approach of QFES. In mid-December the QDMC held a pre-season exercise.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) had put significant effort into developing the QLDTraffic website as a single source of truth for road closure data, and concentrating on the currency of real-time information. The investment paid off, but some councils and agencies noted the volume of road information was almost overwhelming and that QLDTraffic was not able to portray current information quickly enough, and that it did not reflect road closures on the ground. TMR notes that this will be considered as part of ongoing improvement strategies. Local clarity of information was sought after, and prized. The Department also recognised the challenges in closing roads – a topic that was to reoccur in local debriefs later. The DCCSDS had undertaken a number of initiatives, 72 including an online grants and EFT payments system, the ability to issue grants over the phone, and a financial assistance toolkit. They also developed coordinated communications packages for Members of Parliament, providing baseline information to those likely to be involved in disasters at short notice. In August 2016, DCCSDS released the People with vulnerabilities in disasters – a framework for an effective local response . The aim of this framework is to reduce the impact of disaster on people with vulnerabilities, by informing the development of strategies to engage them prior to any event. 73 In a commendable breakthrough for information sharing, DCCSDS had also established an agreement with the National Disability Insurance Agency to allow the sharing of information about people getting assistance at household level. This information proved useful to district groups during the event. Additionally, QRA had released the Interim Queensland Recovery Plan to provide guidance to the sector on how to plan for and manage recovery.

State-level operations

Opposite: Community Recovery service delivery firsts! Source: Department of Communities, Child Safety and DisabilityServices

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5 STATE-LEVEL OPERATIONS

DCCSDS service delivery • Preparedness