Queensland Premier Remarks on Cyclone Yasi (Satellite Photo)

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The Honourable Anna Bligh
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
TRANSCRIPT - PRESS CONFERENCE - 3:30PM TUESDAY 1 FEB
E & O E – PROOF ONLY
TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE
1 FEBRUARY 2011
3:30PM
RE: CYCLONE YASI

PREMIER ANNA BLIGH: The current tracking of Cyclone Yasi has the cyclone set to land slightly closer to Cairns than we anticipated this morning. The cyclone is continuing to intensify and we continue to expect to see it around the 1am mark on Thursday morning. After quite a bit of work by the Bureau of Meteorology and storm surge experts this afternoon, we have been able to see a slight revising down of the likely level of the storm surge and councils have been able to do more precise mapping of those areas where they will need mandatory evacuations. Councils from Cook through to Hinchinbrook have now all implemented mandatory evacuation directions, and the people who are out door-knocking, talking to people in those areas about relocation will, in the high-risk areas on the revised storm surge figures, be issuing directives for people to relocate.

In the first instance, people will be required to make arrangements to relocate with friends, family or workmates. We do understand that there will be some people in some of these areas who are unable to source accommodation with a friend or family member, including some people who may be visitors or tourists to the region – Cairns of course is a very big tourism destination. Arrangements are being put in place to provide emergency accommodation for those people who are unable to access other forms of friends or family to relocate with. People who are unable to find other accommodation should register with the following phone line to alert police and authorities to their needs for accommodation – 1300 99 31 91. Facilities will be put in place and activated either overnight, in some cases, or early tomorrow morning.

In relation to the evacuation of the Cairns Base Hospital and the Cairns Private Hospital, 11 planes have now been sourced to undertake this exercise. Two of those are Australian Defence Force planes. The others include Royal Flying Doctors Service facilities and Government Air Wing. The first plane will arrive in Cairns around 7pm this evening and we will expect to see then a steady round of flights landing and taking patients and bringing them to Brisbane. So this is a large exercise that will be conducted throughout the evening and into the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Can I say that, of course, we understand that not only will patients be anxious about this, but their friends and family and loved ones, this will be quite a nervous time. Can I reassure them that these evacuations will be done by experienced people who regularly evacuate people in extreme medical circumstances. The Royal Flying Doctor’s Service, for example, is often evacuating for medical assistance some of the most, some of the sickest and most dangerously ill patients in Queensland and do so safely almost every day of the week. The hospitals that these patients are going to are major Brisbane hospitals, where arrangements are being made for their particular needs. So can I just say to people, of course, we understand that this will cause some anxiety. It is only being done to make sure that very ill, very vulnerable patients are in the safest place possible.

JOURNALIST: When will they first arrive in Brisbane Premier?

PREMIER: Well, as I said, the first plane was due to arrive in Cairns around 7pm. You could expect, with patients who are ill, some time will be taken to load them on and then about a 2 hour flight. So I would expect that we’d start to see the first planes land around 10pm tonight.

JOURNALIST: Premier, do you have any geographical points as to where this tidal surge could extend, now that it’s been revised inland in metropolitan Cairns, like Redlynch down to Gordanvale, could you give us any geographical points as to the spread of that expected surge, even though it’s been revised.

PREMIER: I’ll invite the Deputy Commissioner to make some specific comments. I should just add that we have, in addition, now evacuated 216 people from nursing homes in the region

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER IAN STEWART: Thank you Premier. Can I firstly say how grateful I am to the Mayors of all of the areas from the Cook Shire down to Hinchinbrook for having a consistent view on the safety of the communities that they serve. This is a very, very important decision in committing to mandatory evacuations, I hope that the communities in those areas, in the high-risk storm tide areas, will now see the potential danger that they’re in and take heed of that, and in fact self-evacuate way before they’re ever asked to do so. Obviously there’s a big job in going to all of these areas and talking to the residents, giving them information and helping them to make decisions in relation to the mandatory nature now that has been committed to by all of those Mayors.

In terms of Cairns specifically, there is very, very good data available to us and, in fact, only about half an hour ago I was looking at the electronic maps of Cairns, which show inundation up to the two metre mark. And with the revised figures from BoM, I understand that that will be in the vicinity of the number of houses or the areas that will be inundated. Now I can’t give you specific street names, but certainly I have seen the map and it is still quite extensive.

JOURNALIST: Can you give us an example of a, a region; northern suburbs, beach suburbs, through metropolitan Cairns?

STEWART: Metropolitan Cairns has got a significant amount of inundation at the 2m mark above HAT, which is that Highest Astronomical Tide.

JOURNALIST: How far north and south?

STEWART: Well certainly all of that CBD, behind the CBD area, and to the south of the CBD, to the inlet is certainly inundated at that level. But I need to stress we need to wait until we get the final new analysis by BoM through. We’ve had verbal advice in relation to their revised figures. And whilst it is good news in one way – it is less than what we had originally been told, only a day ago, because of the changing circumstances – um, it is still dangerous in terms of the amount of inundation in that area.

JOURNALIST: In terms of the mandatory evacuations, have you ascertained how many people specifically will be affected?

STEWART: Some of the shires have very, very specific mapping capability and statistics on this. For Cairns, just in the CBD and northern areas, I think the figures are in the 9,000 people range. But that’s a 2 metre HAT. And as I said, I don't want to be too specific because, with the new figures from BoM, obviously that may differ to a degree. But certainly the Cairns LDMG is banking on a, you know, significant thousands of people needing to be evacuated out of those areas.

JOURNALIST: Premier, what are the alternative arrangements for Cairns for medical help?

PREMIER: Sorry. The alternative medical provision will be in Cairns, because of the temporary closure of the hospital and the evacuation, will be at Fretwell Park Sports Complex on Robert Rd in Edmonton in South Cairns. An emergency department will start operating out of the Fretwell Park Sports Complex from 9am tomorrow morning. So the hospital is still open overnight for emergency department services, but from 9am tomorrow morning Fretwell Park Sports Complex in Edmonton will be the site of medical and emergency services and that is clearly being fitted out this afternoon and overnight.

JOURNALIST: Just that one location?

PREMIER: Yes. It’s a very large complex.

JOURNALIST: When you say a slight decrease from a day ago, does that mean you’re expecting less than a high-level category 4 now?

PREMIER: No. No the, it’s not a decrease in the intensity of the cyclone. But the modelling shows that because we’re now more confident that it will arrive at low tide, and modelling around winds and other information, the storm surge will be lower than originally anticipated. There will still be a storm surge. It is likely to be around the two to two and a half metre above the highest tide. And that’s still a very serious situation but it will affect a less number of houses than a higher storm surge.

JOURNALIST: What was it going to be earlier?

PREMIER: There were some parts where it could have got to 6 meters and others where it would have been 4. So it’s come down significantly but it will nevertheless impact, as you heard, still significant numbers of people.

JOURNALIST: What is the latest status with the cyclone? The category and speed?

STEWART: Certainly our latest advice is that it is a category 4. It is close to Willis Island… in fact past Willis Island on its way towards the coast. And it is still tracking to near Cairns.

PREMIER: It’s tracking just slightly north of where it was tracking this morning, if you go and have a look at the 2pm track.

JOURNALIST: And when will you get the specifics of exactly where it’s going to hit? I think someone said earlier today that at some stage you’d get a 50m..

PREMIER: No 50km. So tomorrow morning’s cyclone modelling will give a level of precision around a 50km either way mark. That’s still quite a large margin of error and that’s the nature of these, that sort of event. At 5pm tomorrow afternoon that will be revised further and we would hope, again, to be in a narrower band. These large cyclones obviously can move, even a small amount and affect a very different and significant area. Ok?

Thank you folks. I just urge everybody again, if you are contacted by emergency services or police and asked to relocate yourself and your family, please take this warning seriously. This is a very significant and serious, and potentially life-threatening cyclone.

ENDS

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