Operation Larry Assist

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Just in from the ADF Media Centre.  Brisbane media report Queensland requested Federal aid at 1400 hrs yesterday. As everyone knows, including the media rabble involved in Katrina in New Orleans, Federal governments cannot react to emercencies until officially requested to do so by State authorities. Thus; Defence has reacted swiftly to requests for support from the Queensland Government as part of the Commonwealth Disaster Plan in the aftermath of Cyclone Larry. The ADF has mounted Operation Larry Assist, which is commanded by Brigadier Michael Slater, the Commander of 3 Brigade based in Townsville, to coordinate ADF assistance. The ADF has provided the following support after receiving requests from Emergency Management Australia (EMA): * Brigadier Slater completed a low-level aerial reconnaissance of the affected area in a Navy Seahawk helicopter on Monday afternoon. * Late Monday evening Brigadier Slater deployed a Combat Service Support Team via road to the Innisfail Show Grounds. The team consists of the following:
o  A Field Kitchen with fresh rations to sustain 200 people for 24 hours.
o 10 Unimog trucks with 9000 litres of water and ration packs.
o 60 tarpaulins for emergency shelter.
o 5 person Primary Healthcare Team.
o Water Storage Capability.
o Environmental Health Officers.
* Early this morning Brigadier Slater deployed an Engineer Group with a water purification unit capable of producing 7500 litres per hour, and an Infantry Company of around 100 personnel to provide general assistance. * An Air Force C-130 Hercules will transport tarpaulins and other stores provided by the NSW State Emergency Service and private sources from RAAF Base Richmond to Innisfail later today. * A Sea King and one Seahawk helicopter will deploy to Townsville from the Nowra Naval Air Station later today. * Further support, under consideration by EMA, that may be requested from the ADF includes:
o Provision of food and water.
o Provision of shower facilities at the three evacuation sites.
o Provision of bedding for up to 500 people within the shire. The ADF has a Navy Seahawk helicopter and Army Blackhawk helicopter standing by in the local area to continue to provide support. 
o Additional Air Force Hercules and Caribou aircraft and Navy landing craft are also available for tasking on request.
The ADF has considerable experience and expertise in providing humanitarian assistance to post disaster recovery support both in Australia and abroad. Damm right it has and we should be thankful but peope like Bryan Law in Townsville will most probably still complain about the noise of the choppers on the way to Innisfail.
General Musings

One comment

  • youcancallmemeyer
    Tuesday, 21 Mar 06 at 21:18

    Great job by the ADF, Federal Government and Queensland Government
    in coordinating response.

    Unfortunately, little coverage in the media of the role played by the ADF.
    Having a professional military is not front page news, it seems.

    By Craig from the comments at SMH:

    I agree with the comments about media coverage of the cyclone. I live in Townsville and to see Grant Denyer standing in the centre of the city and being promoted as being ‘in the centre of the cyclone area’is appauling. To make matters worse we were treated to library footage of the Strand from past cyclones. I was interested to see that Sunrise extended for an hour today. It meant that they could sneak in more boring Commonwealth Games footage between crosses to Grant sitting comfortably in Townsville. Ok, we got some rain and a bit of wind………..nothing even remotely close to what the poor residents of Innisfail have copped. I bet that if this cyclone had hit The Gold Coast or Northern Beaches in Sydney the country would have stopped. Instead of sitting in front of the games today and hoping and praying for another Gold Medal, start hoping and praying that there is no loss of life in Innisfail. Unless you have actually lived through a cyclone you have no idea what it like. For the media to suggest that ‘North Queenslanders are used to cyclones’ is absurd. How could you get used to losing all you own in a matter of minutes and not know who else is alive around you in the dark and the rain?
    Let’s get things into perspective here ……….

    http://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/004053.html