With Tropical Cyclone Debbie expected to make landfall in Australia later today, ADRA Australia is ready to respond.
ADRA’s national manager for Emergency Management Kevin Munro has flown in to coordinate ADRA’s response.
“A number of pre-positioned supplies including chainsaws and generators are ready to be deployed immediately,” Mr Munro said.
ADRA will work closely with local Seventh-day Adventist churches to provide whatever assistance is needed.
Winds of 180km/h were recorded in the Whitsundays last night. The Category 4 tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall between Ayr and Midge Point around noon. It’s the largest cyclone to make landfall in Australia since Yasi devastated the Townsville area in 2011. [pullquote]
Charlene Luzuk, Northern Australia Conference ADRA director, has been deployed to Ayr to provide local support at the impact zone.
“ADRA has connections with some local networks and the Seventh-day Adventist Church Conference has existing partnerships, which will support a quick and effective response,” Mr Munro said.
The Riverside Convention Centre and Ayr Adventist church are ready to be used as evacuation centres if required, where ADRA will have a presence through its network of volunteers.
“Local residents are preparing well to mitigate this disaster, but we’re all bracing for the worst case scenario,” Mr Munro said.
