The newly formed Congo Community Association has formally thrown down the gauntlet to Eurobodalla Council's Lindsay Usher, the Director of Planning
The Congo Community Association (CCA) have written to Mr Usher on behalf of the Congo 73 Congo residents and ratepayers it represents, this number being over one third of the permanent adult population of Congo.
The CCA have advised Council that workers have begun erecting barbed wire perimeter fencing around the Congo Quarry site (Lot 197) this week.
Photos: The Beagle Editor's Note: The barb wire fence depicted in these photos is to keep trespassers off the property. As can be seen there appears to be a gate across the road. This gate is NOT a gate at all but part of a fence. The functioning gate to the land is to the right. This gate has an RFS padlock that allows the RFS access at any time. There are NO blocks across the road preventing access. Blocks located at the site are adjacent to a section where an "alternate" access might be considered by someone wishing to illegally gain entrance to the quarry. It should be noted that in the event of a bushfire and a need to evacuate the Congo community then that call is done by the RFS and Emergency Operations. If their direction is to evacuate to the north via National Park and private property then those parties are required by law to abide by that direction. The RFS has powers under the Emergency Act.
In their letter to Council the CCA have advised Mr Usher in writing that "the new physical barrier is in addition to the large concrete blocks which now block Congo Rd north. These blocks were installed in November 2022 along with permanent road closure signage erected by ESC works crews in November 2022 across both lanes of the Congo Rd north (within the land owned by National Parks)". The CCA says in their letter to the Director of Planning "Our Community Association is very concerned that these new and permanent physical barriers will: 1) prevent access of emergency services vehicles entering or exiting Congo via the northern access road. 2) prevent vehicular evacuation by members of the community using the northern access road in the event of a bushfire blocking road access to the south of the village. "Congo is now effectively a ‘one road in and one road out’ community. "The Royal Commission Report into Natural Disasters clearly states this situation is highly undesirable and that it should be avoided wherever possible. It has been stated that other communities in the Shire are ‘one road in and one road out’ but what sets Congo apart from these other communities is that Congo was until very recently accessible in both directions, to the north and south. "The current situation is inconsistent with the current thinking and strategic planning principles relating to bushfire risk management (e.g Rural Fire Service (2019) Planning for Bushfire Protection, A guide for councils, planners, fire authorities and developers) and increases the bushfire risk rating for Congo (Eurobodalla Bushfire Risk Management Plan). "We respectfully remind you that ongoing emergency services access was guaranteed to the community in ESC press releases and written communication to the Congo community following closure of the road. "Our members live both within the village of Congo and on the Congo Rd between the Congo Creek causeway and Moruya. The Congo has a seasonal population which increases significantly during the summer months due to holiday rentals and the popular Congo Campground. the CCA advise Council "Should a firefront come from the north, members living on the northern section of Congo Rd may be isolated and “landlocked” with no escape route to the south. Historic data shows that the bushfire fronts in Congo have come from the south. (Reference: Duggin, J.A. Bushfire History of the South Coast Study Area. Canberra, ACT: CSIRO Division of Land Use Research; 1976-07. Page 4 https://doi.org/10.4225/08/596e5ad047129 ) "If the southern access road is blocked by bushfire people in Congo Village are trapped with no access route for safe evacuation. There is widespread community concern that Congo is another Mallacoota waiting to happen. "We wish to make it known to council that Congo has:
● no public firefighting resources
● no town water
● no public bushfire shelter
● no RFS identified “Neighbourhood Safer Place”
● no defibrillator
● and most critically no documented bushfire evacuation or emergency management plan or community protection plan shared with the community. "We consider this a dangerous and highly undesirable set of circumstances. The closure of Congo Road is not a decision to do nothing nor is it cost neutral. Inaction or further delay has indirect consequences, including the increase in risk, liability and potential personal and financial costs. There has been no communication by ESC with the community of Congo about an emergency management plan or bushfire evacuation plan for the summer of 2022-2023. "Emergency response times to drownings and surf rescue incidents are another concern amongst our membership. We remind you that we are now less than 14 business days from a seasonal population spike and the peak summer holiday period. Chapter 12 of the Royal Commission Report on Natural Disasters clearly states that it is the role and responsibility of local governments to help communities to plan evacuation routes and develop bushfire and emergency management plans.
"We appreciate that ESC is consulting the community about the Congo Rd closure and attempting to develop a solution. However, please consider the important safety issues we raise above and the risk it presents to both ESC and the wider community over the coming months.
"The Congo Community Association requests urgent action including:
1) A meeting between members of the Congo Community Association Executive and ESC General Manager and you as Director of Planning, the senior ESC official responsible for both Planning and Bushfire and Emergency Services Planning. We request this meeting to provide the opportunity for your department to consult the community about Congo’s community protection plan, our evacuation routes as part of a comprehensive bushfire management plan in the event of a bushfire impacting Congo this summer. Following this meeting it is hoped that a bushfire evacuation plan can be fully developed and presented to the wider Congo community and that information about the plan be made available to visitors to the Congo Campground.
2) A public meeting or (at very minimum) some form of written communication to the Congo residents prior to Christmas which clearly outlines what residents should to do in the event of a bushfire from either a southerly direction blocking evacuation via the southern road exit or a fire from a north blocking access to Moruya for residents living north of the Congo Creek causeway. "Representatives of the CCA would prioritise making themselves available for a meeting next week given that the holiday shutdown is rapidly approaching". From the above the ball is now squarely in Council's court and timeliness is paramount as both the summer tourism season and the bushfire season fast approach. The recent public meeting held at Tuross Head with 70 Congo residents attending to look at various options and to gauge comment was a step in the right direction in improving communication between the Congo community and Council, however there now appears to be a lack of either comprehension, empathy or respect by Council in acknowledge the community concerns around the urgency to look at immediate evacuation options in the event of a fire coming from the west, south or south west given the newly erected barriers across the northern egress preventing flight. Council advised the community on February 10th 2022 that "The landowner has pro-actively collaborated with the Rural Fire Service and made arrangements for access during bushfires, should that be required." Whilst that might still be the case the same arrangements for evacuation to the north by the community during bushfires, should they be required, has NOT been made.
