Innovatia

Then, just a few years later, the world of Aus- tralian disaster response changed – and swiftly evolved – forever. Nineteen seventy-three and 1974 were dev- astating, tragic years for disasters in Australia. Queensland suffered a double whammy: major floods, then Cyclone Wanda. The federal gov- ernment presciently - it seems now - created the National Disaster Organization. On Christmas morning 1974, Cyclone Trac- ey, a category 4 Cyclone, with several unique characteristics arrived, a direct hit on Darwin, flattening the entire city. This prompted the largest scale evacuation – 30,000 people – in Australia’s history. Over 90% of all buildings were destroyed, 40,000 were made homeless. In effect, the small city no longer existed. The death toll at 66 seems merciful, within disaster contexts ………but the physical de- struction was boundless. Unique characteristics? Cyclone Tracey was for 34 years the world record holder for having the smallest eye or centre, thus she held an extraor- dinarily concentrated destructive power. Trac- ey also hit Darwin directly, unlike most cyclonic events which are more widely spread. The ane- mometer at Darwin airport was destroyed with a final reading of 217km per hour, though scientific evidence puts top wind speeds at up to 250 kph. At this point rating a Cyclone like Tracey at 4 or the maximum of 5 becomes academic. Why? The rating system recognizes top wind speeds as the primary criterion along with di- ameter. It does not account for the actual move- ment speed of the cyclone’s eye itself, which in Tracey’s case was slow, sustained, hence more destructive over a longer period. In any case, it is difficult to imagine a more destructive event

INTERVIEW WITH BRENDAN MOON, CO-ORDINATOR GENERAL, NEMA, A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN KEENEY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 1MG.

N EMA, as an acronym doesn’t mean much to most people – until its actions save their lives. Or people they know. Or as- sists in rebuilding their community following a large scale disaster. Then, the National Emer- gency Management Authority and its actions become vividly real—vital, immediate, urgent. Many of us who don’t follow government pol- icy in detail, have missed an inspiring story and one which-- when viewed up close--- produces a genuine thrill, and a surge of national pride. No kidding. (Personal disclosure: I am hard to impress, get bored easily and maintain as a writer a mostly sceptical or critical outlook) . This Australian story began following WWII, early 50’s – a unit within the Department of De- fence became responsible for disaster response, a flow on from civil defence during the War. A crucial event arose, under their watch: the “Black Tuesday “fires in Hobart. Early on Feb 7, 1967 the already hot day was moving to nearly 40 degrees. A benign, below nor- mal wind, 10-15kms per hour at 6 am, rose stead- ily, then violently due to an incoming cold front, to gusts exceeding 110kms an hour. Within five hours this deadly combination of temperature and windspeed created 110 separate fire fronts which burnt through 2,600 square kilometres. This was

no longer a mere fire or bushfire; it was a firestorm. Within 5 hours: Sixty-four dead… 80 bridges, 1,500 motor ve- hicles,62,000 farm animals, 432 houses in the Metro area, 7,500 buildings in total ... destroyed. This was an early seminal event which gave witness to a mostly effective combination of military and civilian, local and national parties working, and fighting desperately, but with de- termination, together. “You don’t need to be a scientist , merely a skier to discern a decline in snow, see climate change over 25 years” Army personnel were mobilized. They played a key role alongside valiant locals dur- ing and long after the firestorm was contained, providing community support and aiding re-building. And: from Hobart’s Black Tues- day, lessons were learned –this was probably the real beginning of a conscientious effort to gather data to aid future planning in disaster response and management.

INNOVATIA | Features

INNOVATIA