Council monitors TC Debbie

Published on 27 March 2017

Rockhampton Regional Council will keep a close eye on rain levels over Fitzroy Catchments this week to monitor the effects of Tropical Cyclone Debbie which is due to make landfall in North Queensland tomorrow morning.

Chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, Councillor Tony Williams, said Council had not activated the LDMG at this stage but was proactively working with emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology to ensure the region was prepared.

“With the system due to cross the North Queensland coast tomorrow morning, our focus is on the effect possible heavy falls over Fitzroy Catchments could have on our region and to ensure local residents are doing their own preparations,” Cr Williams said.

“We’ve been working very closely with agencies including Ergon Energy and have provided them with access to the Rockhampton Showgrounds as a staging point for crews to travel north once the cyclone has made landfall.

“Following heavy falls last week our civil works crews have also been checking and clearing stormwater infrastructure around the region to ensure that if we do get the edge of the system, we’re prepared to deal with those heavy falls,” Cr Williams said.

Chair of the Airport, Water and Waste Committee Councillor Neil Fisher said there had been a fantastic response from the community over the weekend getting ready for the event.

“We had more than 1,500 vehicles go through the gates at the Lakes Creek Road Waste Management Facility over the weekend which is about triple the volume we’d normally see,” Cr Fisher said.

"The majority of it was green waste and it’s really pleasing to see that the community has heeded the Get Ready message and has been tidying up around their yards.

“The other important measure for residents to take is to make sure their down pipes and drains are clear around the house to help prevent stormwater entering our sewerage infrastructure,” Cr Fisher said.

Residents wanting more information about how to get disaster ready should head to council’s website at http://www.rockhamptonregion.qld.gov.au/Council-Services/Disaster-Management