yarra ranges contributes to flood relief efforts

Recently councillors discussed the flood disasters in both Queensland and Victoria. With the memory of the generous assistance the Shire received in the recent Black Saturday bushfire disaster we wanted to make sure we gave back on behalf of our community.

Councillors decided to donate $50,000 towards the Premier’s Flood Appeal in Queensland.

We were also prepared to send staff to Queensland to assist with the recovery effort, however in the interim the flood disaster of Northern Victoria was unfolding. In response to the Victorian floods the Shire sent some 20 staff to Stawell to help the Northern Grampians Shire in their Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre.

Our staff have been involved by helping out with health and road inspections as well as emergency management and administrative support. Our staff generously volunteered to help our northern neighbours for several days at a time.

Post Black Saturday council has put much resourcing in to the Shire’s Emergency Management Team, we now have the largest emergency management team of any council in the country. It was time for us to share that resource and capacity with a smaller rural council that doesn’t have the same capacity to deal with the scale of this flood disaster.

Yarra Ranges received an enormous amount of assistance when we were facing the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfires, it is certainly time to return the favour.