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2009 Bushfires in Latrobe City. Today’s Presentation. Overview of the two fire events of 2009 Impact to our community Impact to our Infrastructure Lessons Learned . Latrobe City. 1.5 hours east of Melbourne 1 of Victoria’s four Regional Cities Community of 85,000
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Today’s Presentation • Overview of the two fire events of 2009 • Impact to our community • Impact to our Infrastructure • Lessons Learned
Latrobe City • 1.5 hours east of Melbourne • 1 of Victoria’s four Regional Cities • Community of 85,000 • 4 main towns, 7 small towns
Fire Events of 2009 • Delburn Complex, 28 January • Churchill / Jeeralang Complex, 7 February
Extent of fire events Delburn – 6,500 hectares Churchill/ Jeeralang – 25,800 hectares
Impact to our community • 11 fatalities • 158 houses destroyed • 425 farm buildings destroyed • 16,714 km of farm fence lost • 1,441 stock lost
Impact to Infrastructure • 1 bridge damaged beyond repair • App 30 km of sealed road pavement damaged, requiring re-sheet • Guardrails / signs / guideposts etc (around 4,200!) • 1 fire station destroyed • 1 public hall lost, 1 severely damaged • 1 former school building lost • Emergency landfill established – 30,000+ tonnes
Lessons Learned – Our People • It was an exhausting experience! • Both the fire events & recovery, and: • Business as usual • Support through access to EAP • Plan, plan, plan – expect the unexpected • Impacts are long lasting
Lessons Learned – Our Community • Re-establishment of services and infrastructure fundamental to community recovery • Immediate access to properties / services - Short term, a focus for community rebuilding (Callignee Community Centre / Jeeralang Hall)
Lessons Learned – Our Systems / Processes • Duplicated effort in several areas • Relationships absolutely critical to an effective recovery & rebuilding effort • Community partnerships • Professional / agency partnerships • Across the organisation