Tasmania’s emergency services and volunteers have done an incredible job in the face of extreme and challenging circumstances.
The Hodgman Liberal Government commends the professionalism and hard work of not only the emergency services personnel, but also the volunteers who have banded together in response to the devastating floods the south of the State has experienced this week.
At times like these, we stand behind our first responders and volunteers who are doing tremendous work in very difficult conditions.
Initial Rapid Impact Assessments have been undertaken in the Hobart CBD, and will continue by Emergency Services over the weekend to provide a more detailed pictures of the damage to homes and businesses.
The most heavily impacted Local Government areas appear to be Hobart, Derwent Valley, Glenorchy, Huon Valley and Kingbrough.
TasNetwork crews have done an excellent job overnight to restore power to many impacted customers and will continue to work throughout the day to address outstanding issues.
The storm damaged a large part of TasNetworks Infrastructure, crews have been mobilised today and we encourage Tasmanian’s affected to be patient, and above all else safe.
As the clean-up continues, I urge all members of the community to remember this is not a time for sight-seeing. The wild weather conditions and flood waters present real risks for the public at this time due to unstable building materials and contaminated flood waters.
Our emergency services are well-prepared and conduct regular exercises in the emergency management space to ensure they can respond effectively and efficiently in times of need.
The Government is receiving regular updates on the damage being reported, and we encourage all affected to contact their insurance provider as soon as possible to receive guidance.
Tasmanians are resilient, and I know we will all dig deep and help each other through this difficult period just as we have countless times before.
For Tasmanians requiring assistance please ensure to use the appropriate number:
- For life-threatening emergencies call 000
- For non-life threatening assistance call Police 131 444
- For flood and storm assistance call SES 132 500
Further information regarding responses to this event by Tasmanian Government agencies and authorities can be found at www.tasalert.com.au