Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Regional Controller Commander Danny Bacon says 700 residents of the Gregory District are being evacuated due to major flooding in the Victoria River and will be accommodated in Darwin

Transcript

Regional Controller Commander Danny Bacon says 700 residents of the Gregory District are being evacuated due to major flooding in the Victoria River and will be accommodated in Darwin · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Speaking of the Northern Territory Police.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: We are going to head across right now and find
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: out what the situation is with the flooding. And joining
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: me on the line right now is the Regional Controller
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Commander Danny Bacon. Good morning to you, Danny.
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: Good morning, Kay. Apologies for being late.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Oh well, good mate, you are not running late. You're
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: right on time, thank you and very busy this morning,
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: I know. Now talk us through the situation as it
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: stands with the communities which are flooded.
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: Yes the motion declaration has been made for the Calgingy,
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: darga argue Yarrow and Pigeonhole and Plumper communities yesterday in
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: regards to the flood event. In particular, Calcuing is recorded
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: a significant flow of the event which has gone over there.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: The high rating it peaked at sixteen point nine to
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: nine meters. It is receding but it's still maintaining at
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: a high Levelurrently, what we undertook yesterday from an emergency
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: management response perspective was the evacuated residents of Pigeonhole community
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: and darga Agua community into CALCORINGI. They were accommodated at
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: the school there and we are looking at evacuating those
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: residents to Darwin today. There was some vulnerable residents thirty
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: five in total evacuated yesterday from that community and they
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: seven of those came to Darwen at the Fosky Pavilion
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: Evacuation Center, and the other vulnerable evacuees went to medical
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: facilities or with family and friends.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Right, So, Commander, as it stands, I know it's been
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: reported that it could be up to seven hundred people
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: evacuated to Darwin.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Is that is that a fair estimate?
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: Me? It is? It's so we've estimated between six to
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: seven hundred as indicator before, depending on the assessment by
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: the fare and medical functional groups. Some individuals may go
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: to medical facilities, some may have alternative accommodation with family
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: and friends. But up to seven hundred is what we're
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: catering for within Darwin.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Now, did we end up having to utilize the ADF
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: plane I know, or the ADF aircraft? I know that
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  Speaker 2: one of the federal senators had said yesterday publicly that
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: he was happy to require or to provide that assistance
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: if required.
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: Certainly we've made that request under the emergency management provisions.
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  Speaker 3: Defense are assessing that and we are hoping to be
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: in a position to confirm that there'll be in a
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: position to assist us, but that process is still underway
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: at the moment, but certainly we're looking to The request
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: was for a fixing asset to land at Calcory and
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: to assist us with evacuations. Currently we're utilizing commercial coppers
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: and commercial fixed wings to facilitate those evacuations to Catherine
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: and bussing transport up. If there is an ability for
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: defense to assist, then subject to what their capabilities are,
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: we may be able to evacuate them directly to Darwen.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: Commander, how long are we expecting some of those people
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: to stay in Catherine before being transported to Darwin and
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: will they all come to Darwin?
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  Speaker 3: A majority will come to Dallas, has said, with a
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: few that may remain with family and friends, but majority
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: would be expected to attend or the evacuation center. The
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: length of that period of time is unknown, Codie. A
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: lot of that will depend on the surveying assessment team
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: that goes and visits these communities, particularly when the flood
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: levels retreat. There's been some significant inundation across Calgaring, Daga
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: Argue and pigeonole of government infrastructure, residential dwellings, so they'll
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: all need to be assessed to make sure that it's
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: appropriate for resons to return for their own health and
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: safety and well being. And that'sti also make sure in
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: regards to sewerage, water, electricity and the like.
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  Speaker 1: Commander, do we have any idea really?
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  Speaker 2: I guess we don't while those well, those flood levels
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: are still up. But do we have any idea how
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: long these evacuees are then going to.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Be in Darwin?
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  Speaker 2: I know it's still very early early days, but last
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: time we did see evacuees in Darwen, unfortunately we wound
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: up in a situation where a lot stayed sort of
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: a bit longer and in some cases there was anti
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: social behavior associated.
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: I'm certainly aware of that through through any sort of
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: giving event like this code is, you're aware there's a
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: number of planning and levels of plant associated with that.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: That includes when you get a large co orter vacuees
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  Speaker 3: in the regional center. And so we'll be looking at
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  Speaker 3: increasing our particularly our social order patrols as well to
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  Speaker 3: alleviate some of those concerns that to certainly also ensure the
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: safety of those evacuees as well as always to alleviate
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: some of the community concerns as well. As I said,
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  Speaker 3: the duration is an unknown factor until we have an
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  Speaker 3: ability to assess those communities that have been inundated.
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  Speaker 2: Now, can you talk me through with some of these
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  Speaker 2: some of these locations, were there any rescues? I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we had heard that in some cases people were waiting
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: on their roofs.
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  Speaker 1: Was that the case?
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  Speaker 3: There were people that sought refuge on the roofs of
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: their dwellings. The evacuations, both from Pigeonhole and darga Argue
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: occurred with helicopters. The nature of this particular flood event
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: was very very quickly as the river rose. Now, whilst
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: we learned from flood events, and these are well tried
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  Speaker 3: tested plans, sometimes well, each flood event is very very different.
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  Speaker 3: The rainfall for this particular flood event didn't fall in
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  Speaker 3: where we have identified recorders, so a lot of the
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: water came up fairly quickly, and residents did seek refuge
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: on some of the dwelling roofs.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Commander, we had her that there was a child potentially
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: injured by a crocodile.
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  Speaker 1: Is that the case?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, It was reported yesterday through Saint John's that a
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: resident of darga Argue was was bitten by a crocodile.
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: The crocodile hasn't been seen, and he certainly has an injury.
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: It's consistent with the crocodile bite. And what we remind
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  Speaker 3: everybody in any sort of flooded waters, particularly in the
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  Speaker 3: northern region top end, is you don't know what's in
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  Speaker 3: the water. So we're just asking we'll make sure people
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  Speaker 3: don't go into floodwaters because there may be crocodiles anyway.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Was he all right, that young fellow.
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: Yes he was. He was treated in Calquering a health clinic.
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: Wasn't a significant injury, but yes he is. He's fine
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: in that context.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, good to hear. Now what is in place?
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: I guess when it comes to food drops and that
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: kind of thing. Are you going to need to with
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: any of the other communities that aren't being evacuated. Is
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: there going to need to be food drops or anything
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: like that?
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: Not at this stage. But as I said, we're still
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: going through a response phase for this particular flooding event.
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: So our I suppose, forecasting is to look at what's downstream,
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: particularly where the water goes from the Victorian and other
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: feeder rivers, so that's monitoring obviously the daily as well,
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: but it's also following the weather event as it moves
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: across the Barkley. So all our local emerentship committees have
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: been activated and been activated for some time, so the
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: regular meeting and making sure that it's like food security,
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: fuel security is paramount and when there's a need, hopefully
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: there's some we could look at, either pre positioning, but
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  Speaker 3: certainly making sure that communities are sustainable if they will
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: be isolated for a period of time, which is common
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: in the Northern Territory this time.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: Of year anyway, Yeah, it is.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: It does feel as though we sort of go through
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: this around this time each and every year. Commander can
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: I just ask as well, for those that are being
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: taken to Fosky Pavilion, is there what kind of provisions
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: are in place there for them?
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: Certainly the welfare and the health and well being is
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: being looked after by CHURCHI families and the housing. We
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: have a dedicated welfare team support team to manage evacuees.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: So certainly food and obviously bedding, but also educational facilities
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: for kids as well, and just because obviously I'm being
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: inside a facility maybe quite tedious. So it's also activity
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: so that they remain active.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: And yeah, I guess that is potentially going to be
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: a concern as well, depending on how long people are
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: here that they know that they do get bored. And yeah,
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: we've got to make sure that there's not a situation
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: where you know, anybody's engaged in the wrong kind of behavior.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so as I have that my face in the
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  Speaker 3: functional groups that manage the evacuation centers. So these are
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: these are well and tested plans and certainly well versed
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: in running evacuation centers, both from an emergency management perspective
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: for flooding events, but also lessons learned in regards to
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: COVID as well. So there's a range of measures that
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: I'm sure that the Wealth and Educational teams will be
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: taking consideration to make sure that we are supporting these
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: people who have been unfortunately dislodged from their residences and
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: quite often they would obviously have some significant losses as well,
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: so we'll be making sure that they're well engaged.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: Commander, before I let you go with cal Karnji, I
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: understand that their flood levels or their flood event. It's
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: similar to what it was all the way back in
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: two thousand and one, so it's obviously quite bad.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: Is that it's excited the two thousand and one foot event,
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: but I don't believe it the early one of the
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: nineteen fifties, and apologies that I don't have a dated hand,
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  Speaker 3: but certainly at sixteen point nine to nine meters it
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: was a significant event. It's affected significant infrastructure throughout the
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  Speaker 3: calcuingy darga argueing picture whole communities and as I said,
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  Speaker 3: it will take some time to assess the severity of
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: that damage to make sure it is safe for the
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: residents and community to return.
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: Well, Commander Danny Bacon, we always appreciate your time. I
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: know that it's a very busy time at the moment
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: for the Northern Territory Police. You are indeed the regional controller.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: Thank you so very much for having a chat with
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: us this morning.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: Anytime, Katie, thanks very much, thank you.