Ten months on from the devastating January floods in Wannon and it seems our flood warning systems have gone backwards rather than being updated and improved.
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan MP has called for immediate action to upgrade Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) flood warning systems in the electorate of Wannon.
Media reports today highlight that bureaucratic bungling has left areas in the south west vulnerable due to inadequate warning systems.
I am particularly concerned about media reports that a minor flood warning was not issued within the past two months because there was no one to check the BOM Dergholm gauge on the Glenelg River.
According to these reports the Dergholm flood warning system now requires monitoring from either Casterton or Hamilton as the local landholder who previously voluntarily monitored the gauge advised BOM over six months ago that they would no longer be able to undertake this important role.
This gauge needs to be immediately automated as it now seems that emergency service providers from Hamilton or Casterton are now being called on to manually monitor the only Bureau of Meteorology gauge in Wannon. This is totally unacceptable.
The drive to Dergholm from Hamilton is well over an hour and from Casterton is over 20 minutes and requires following the Glenelg River upstream.
Ten months on from the devastating January floods in Wannon and it seems our flood warning systems have gone backwards rather than being updated and improved.
It is bad enough we only have one BOM flood warning gauge in the south west. We need more and they should all be automated.
Following the floods in January I wrote to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Tony Burke, calling for further upgrading of existing flood monitoring equipment and the installation of more gauges. It now seems that this action has not been forthcoming.
-ENDS-
Media Contact: Rachelle Miller 03 5572 1100 or 0408 564 232
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