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

The Cyclone Debbie Review

The Debbie experience

Themes

Checking on remote communities remains an issue , one which has arisen in the past after the likes of Tropical Cyclone Marcia and the township of Byfield – and further in the past after Tropical Cyclone Ului and the Eungella community.

Similarly, there were other communities such as Keswick Island that felt there was inadequate attention to their needs in the lead-up to and in the immediate aftermath of Debbie.

This is a problem exacerbated by our reliance on telecommunications. Work to address this problem has been done in some areas. It needs to be undertaken in collaboration with communities ahead of disasters to identify the best way of contacting them and gaining situational awareness during disasters. An example of good practice to overcome this is the development of Emergency Liaison Officers within these communities that can provide succinct and relevant information to local groups when communications allow.

We note there is a very real difference between ‘there is no report of damage’ and ‘there are reports of no damage’; the former may simply be due to a communication failure.

A badly-damaged plumbing business in Proserpine, 101km north west of Mackay.

Source: ABC News (supplied)

In previous events, there were instances where isolated communities could not make contact, which led to the assumption that they did not need help. In contrast, lessons from previous events were applied during Debbie and a considered effort was made to ensure contact could be made with all isolated communities to assess when and where assistance was needed.

Clearing a fallen tree in Carmila, 88km south of Mackay.

Source: Isaac Local Disaster Management Group

Sources During Debbie, Queensland residents and communities received information and warnings from a variety of sources. Many councils noted that interviews or media conferences by mayors and elected officials were a successful way of engaging the public, and ensured that the information provided was seen as authoritative.

Sources and survey People also sought information themselves from a range of sources. Councils cited high traffic to their Facebook, call centres and website pages during the event. In contrast, respondents to the community survey identified the Bureau website and news media as the key sources of information. In the areas directly affected by the cyclone, 76 per cent of respondents indicated the Bureau website was a key information source. Of those who experienced the slow-onset flooding in Rockhampton, 68 per cent indicated they relied equally on the Bureau website or other radio/TV/online news sources. In the Logan/Scenic Rim/Gold Coast region 63 per cent of respondents who experienced rapid on-set weather conditions utilised the Bureau website, and 77 per cent indicated using a news source (other than the ABC). 101

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6 THEMES

Public Information and Engagement • The Debbie experience