🛑Eurobodalla Emergency Operations Centre update - Saturday 1 Feb 2020, 11am 🛑
🔥Fire advice for Eurobodalla residents RFS has identified Eurobodalla communities around the Deua Valley, Coila, Turlinjah, Dignams Creek, and Tilba and Central Tilba as areas of concern today.
Residents of these areas should now be relocating to safer areas if they aren’t prepared to the highest standard and mentally and physically prepared to actively defend their homes.
Fire behaviour on days like today can be difficult to predict and residents from Broulee to Akolele should remain vigilant. Residents in areas yet to be burnt should remain alert for new fire activity.
Emergency services have doorknocked homes in rural areas west of the highway from Moruya to Tilba and Akolele to increase awareness that residents need to be prepared for today and remain vigilant and ready to enact their bushfire survival plan.
The villages of Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba will be closed for business on Saturday and access is not permitted to either village. Residents are urged to relocate unless they intend to defend their property, and to keep the streets clear of vehicles. This will allow firefighters the best chance of defending the heritage villages should fires impact.
Residents of Moruya, Tuross Head, Kianga or Narooma who live in town - not on the bush fringes - who have prepared their homes well should generally be safer to stay at home today but need to remain alert for embers. •this advice applies if you receive an RFS emergency warning on your phone to seek shelter - in this case, your shelter is your home positioned in a safer area •you can still choose to stay at a safer place with family and friends or attend an evacuation centre if that’s your preference •keep a close eye out for embers and extinguish them with a hose or wet mop, as per RFS advice in your bushfire survival plan https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and…/bush-fire-survival-plan
There is potential for Bodalla and Dalmeny to experience a higher degree of embers due to the fire near Mummaga Lake, and residents of those areas should be extra vigilant today.
Eurobodalla residents living in areas already burnt should generally be safer, but similarly need to monitor for embers and stay in touch with information from RFS.
Residents in Eurobodalla’s other coastal areas south of Broulee need to take account of their location and limited road access. Embers may start additional fire, compromising road access in and out of these areas. Earlier decisions are required in your bushfire survival plan if you intend to leave for the safety of a main town. Relying on going to the beach is not a good option and should be considered a last resort.
RFS has planned for firefighting resources to be located where they are most needed today, with more than 200 extra personnel in the Eurobodalla to bolster firefighting efforts.
🔥Embers More than 90 percent of homes destroyed in a bushfire are lost because of burning embers. Embers can travel many kilometres from the fire. RFS predict today’s heat will bring erratic fire behaviour. Residents should remain vigilant and prepare their homes and themselves. Watch out for spot fires or burning embers and be ready to take action. Your bushfire survival plan explains how https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and…/bush-fire-survival-plan
☀️RFS weather advice Forecast for today is temperatures 37-40 degrees, north westerly winds 20-30km/h and humidity will be 20-30% along the coast and 10-20% inland and will likely drop as the day warms.
A southerly is expected to move up the coast tonight - expected in Merimbula around 8pm, and in Moruya around 10-11pm. The southerly will bring gusty conditions up to 40-50km/h for a few hours and will bring an increase in humidity. Winds will remain 30-40km/h for a few hours.
🏡Evacuation centres Evacuation centres in Moruya and Narooma moved to 24 hour service yesterday and will remain open until further notice.
📍Moruya evacuation centre: Moruya Basketball stadium, in the showgrounds, Albert Street, Moruya. Opens Friday 9am, 24/7 📍Narooma evacuation centre: Narooma Leisure Centre, Bluewater Drive, Narooma, opens Friday 9am, 24/7 📍Bermagui Surf Club evacuation centre, Lamont St, Bermagui
Please remember evacuation centres are a lifeboat, not a cruise ship. Be as self-sufficient as you can. Bring your own bedding and towels, and your own food. People with babies and young children, please bring nappies, formula, baby food, toys and activities. The strong preference is to re-house all animals with friends or family out of the fire zone. If this isn’t an option, smaller pets are welcome at the evacuation centres. Please bring pet food and bowls.
🐴Large animals (such as horses) can be accommodated under owner-care at Moruya Showground. Please bring your own feed and feeding equipment, including buckets for water carting. Local Land Services reps are onsite at the showground to assist with animal welfare. For livestock, you can contact the Agriculture and Animal Services hotline on 1800 814 647 for advice. Remember it takes longer to move animals out of the way of harm.
⛺️People with camping equipment may camp on the grounds of each evacuation centre. Pack up tents and store them in cars before a fire front arrives. Embers will burn tents, canvass on pop-up vans and make the area unsafe for others.
Communities regularly organise their own unofficial places to seek shelter, like a local licensed club. This can be a good option if you’re feeling anxious.
📌Register your whereabouts Whether you relocate to an evacuation centre or to family and friends, register online at Register.Find.Reunite. This allows family and friends to find you without contacting response teams, which allows teams to focus on those most in need.
😷People with medical conditions When fires threaten, people with medical conditions should move to an official evacuation centre immediately. Please take your required medication and copies of prescriptions. Do not present to the hospital unless you require immediate medical attention. The evacuation centres offer food, water, safety, company and St John’s Ambulance personnel.
🚗Roads and traffic Please stay off the roads today unless essential or you’re relocating to a safer place. That way emergency services vehicles have unimpeded access.
There’s potential for the Princes Highway to close today due to fire impacts in the area between Bermagui and south of Moruya. Plan any travel so you’re not caught on the wrong side of a closure.
Restrict driving on local roads west of the highway. There is still active fire and falling trees.
Road closures have been implemented on roads west of the Princes Highway between Moruya and Dignams Creek. This includes Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba where firefighters are preparing to defend the heritage villages. Araluen Road, Larrys Mountain Road and Potato Point Road also remain closed.
🚧Please obey roadblocks – they are in place for your safety.
🚫Closures Moruya waste transfer station was impacted by fire and remains closed. Brou tip has fire activity around it and remains closed. Both facilities will re-open as soon as it is safe to do so. Surf Beach tip is open Monday to Friday 7am to 4.45pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 8am to 3.45pm.
📚Narooma Library is closed today.
💡Power Residents should make preparations to be without power if fire impacts the electricity network. Remember to stay 8 metres from downed power lines and assume they are live.
Essential Energy advise that 237 Eurobodalla customers are without power in the areas of Deep Creek, Mogendoura, Bodalla, Tilba, Nerrigundah, Rosedale, Nelligen. Customers can call 132080 for enquiries.
Essential Energy is encouraging residents in remote areas who have been without power for an extended time to call 132080 to arrange a generator.
💧Water Please help conserve water for essential drinking water and firefighting. The shire’s water storage facility at Deep Creek Dam is now below fifty percent capacity.
Do not wet down buildings or grounds or leave sprinklers and hoses running until you can see fire or embers approaching. An ember is a hot glowing coal – cold and blackened leaves are not embers.
🐮Animal welfare South East Local Lands Service field crews are providing animal welfare support, including feed and water, following last Thursday’s fires.
They are available to provide advice to rural land owners about animal welfare for the predicted fire activity today and tomorrow. Call 1800 814 647.
🗣Community updates Eurobodalla’s Emergency Operations Centre will provide community updates as required, distributed to media, social media, community associations and the evacuation centre.
Stay updated with Fires Near Me, Live Traffic and local radio. If your life is in danger call Triple Zero (000).
Chief Inspector Greg Flood Local Emergency Operations Controller Emergency Operations Centre, Eurobodalla 1 February 2020, 11am
