STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE – KALBARRI
May 2021 Report:
After a full on month in April dealing with Tropical Cyclone Seroja and the mayhem that followed, things have finally started to slow down for Kalbarri SES. All the visiting volunteer teams from other areas have left and returned home and the small town of dongas and containers that sprang up opposite the SES building have gone. On completion of the majority of requests for assistance, we had the big task of sorting and storing all of our equipment and supplies and restocking items that had been depleted. At the time of writing everything at Kalbarri SES is just about back to normal!
SUPPORT FROM ROTARY:
In the early days after TC Seroja it was apparent that Kalbarri and surrounding districts would be without electricity for an extended period. We received many calls from people asking where they could borrow a generator. People had no way to keep food refrigerated or light their homes and in some cases power was required for medical reasons. SES received a call from Rotary asking if there was any assistance they could provide in the cyclone aftermath. Rotary is an organisation with clubs all over the world and raises funds for numerous community purposes. Rotary also runs community projects such as their campaign to provide vaccinations for Polio that resulted in the eradication of the disease. After discussions the Rotary Clubs of Applecross and Melville, provided a grant of $15,000 for use in cyclone relief. This money was utilised by SES to purchase 15, 3 KVA portable petrol generators, oil, power cables and fuel containers. The generators were soon sent out on a loan basis to local residents thus providing the ability for these families to remain in their homes with the ability to access some essentials.
Western Power worked tirelessly to restore power to Kalbarri and after 4 weeks, all homes were reconnected. The generators have been returned to SES and we are currently on-selling them at a reduced price so that people have their own generator in the case of further power outages. The proceeds from these sales will be put into a cyclone recovery fund to go towards community projects such as restoring the vegetation on the Kalbarri foreshore. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Rotary Clubs of Applecross and Melville for their generosity towards our community!
OPERATIONS:
Local volunteers have continued to complete TC Seroja jobs up until the time of writing. We have spent much time maintaining the premises that have previously been tarped or otherwise weather proofed, especially after recent heavy rain. We are expecting that these jobs will continue as it will probably be some time until permanent repairs are completed on many buildings.
We had a bit of a change from clambering over roofs and fixing down tarpaulins on Tuesday May 25th when we received a call from a couple who had been fishing in their dinghy on the river east of town when they became completely stuck on a sandbar. With Marine Rescue’s boat unable to respond due to the shallow nature of the river in the area concerned, we launched our low draught flood boat and responded. After a 50 meter wade through mud from the nearest deep water, we were able to manhandle the boat to where it could float and then move it to water deep enough to navigate. Job successfully completed, we returned to base, hosed of the mud and changed into dry gear.
KALBARRI ROCK LOBSTER TOURS
On Tuesday May 25, local emergency services volunteers were treated by Kalbarri Rock Lobster Tours to a Sunset Cruise on their vessel Nebraska 11. After leaving the Marina we stopped at the sand spit where we were included in the “whole of town photo” session to promote Kalbarri as an open event. We then cruised the coastal cliffs in perfect weather conditions and took in the sunset and the almost full moon rising. The crayfish and salad went down a treat! A great time was had by all and we thank Kalbarri Rock Lobster Tours for their hospitality and support of local volunteers. I will certainly be promoting Kalbarri Rock Lobster Tours to anyone visiting Kalbarri.
TRAINING:
Training has been placed on hold for the past couple of months due to the TC Seroja workload. We will be recommencing training with a Single Rope Rescue course on May 29 & 30.
Regular fortnightly training will recommence on Tuesday June 1 at 1900hours.
