Whitsundays briefed on cyclone season ahead

 Whitsunday Regional Council’s CEO John Finlay was one of a number of attendees at Friday’s Queensland Tropical Cyclone Consultative Committee (QTCCC) workshop in Airlie Beach. Mr Finlay and other representatives from local government and disaster management agencies were able to hear firsthand from a panel of experts, including Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), who all gave advice on preparing for the season ahead. 

 “It’s absolutely tremendous to have all the different departments and agencies in one room advising and telling us of their roles, that from a council perspective, we include in our disaster management plans,” Mr Finlay said.

 “Ultimately it’s about having all of the information so that in the event of a disaster we are 100 per cent prepared,” he said.

 Mr Finlay said the overall message was to not be complacent.

 “Adhere to all the warnings – the preparations with batteries and food etc – those things are so important,” he said.

 Mr Finlay also said the forthcoming cyclone shelters would be a “plus” for the region.

 “It’s really positive to have those types of facilities constructed here and in terms of evacuation centres we are lucky we’ve got a lot of buildings in the region that can be quickly converted (into evacuation centres), so we’re well catered for in the event of a disaster.”

 Regional Director for BOM Jim Davidson gave a presentation on the outlook for the forthcoming season, saying the weather pattern was “trending” towards a La Nina.

 “The jury is still out. The experts are still undecided as to what’s going to happen. It may not become one, but more than likely will,” Mr Davidson said.

 Though a La Nina generally means above average rainfall and the possibility of increased cyclone activity for our tropical coast, Mr Davidson said this did not mean a repeat of last year’s extreme weather events was necessarily correct.

 “No two La Nina’s are the same and we’re a far cry from where we were at this time last year, but we still need to keep our guard up,” he said.

 “Even in a normal wet season, we need to be prepared.”