Canberra storm clean-up won't be completed until after Christmas

The emergency response to Canberra’s storms on Friday night (8 December) has moved to recovery mode.

Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) specialist crews have been working their way through 500 jobs reported to their system and an additional 200 directions from the ACT SES.

City Presentation executive branch manager Daniel Iglesias warned the clean-up and recovery task would take some time.

“We’re a city of trees; we’ve got over 800,000 of them, and while we’ve only had a tiny fraction of 1 per cent that have been affected by this storm, it’s going to take us time to get through it,” he said.

“I would suggest to you there are some areas that won’t be looked at this side of Christmas.”

ACT Emergency Services (ESA) volunteers and crews across SES, RFS, Fire and Rescue and the Community Fire Unit have been working to make homes and streets safe following the storm. TCCS crews, including arborists, have been attending to clear up debris and green waste.

The strong winds from the storms meant it was “almost impossible to predict” which trees would go down where, and Mr Iglesias urged people not to try to undertake tree trimmings themselves.

“It’s a specialist task and very dangerous … leave it to the experts, give us a little bit of time to get to your area, we will get there. It’s about getting to the areas that need it most [at the moment],” he said.

“While we’re out there doing our best, there may be a bit of time-lapse before we get to your particular job.”

Given the continuing hot conditions throughout this week, TCCS crews will need to be rested regularly to ensure they aren’t fatigued while undertaking this dangerous work and to give them a break over the Christmas and New Year’s period.

TCCS is looking at getting help from NSW and contractors to help speed up the process.

Mr Iglesias said some lessons had been learned from the 2022 hail storm, which had improved response efforts, as well as the awareness that climate change was resulting in more severe storms more frequently.

He insisted the tree management program in Canberra was up to the task of keeping things as safe as they could be.

“Trees can be an asset during a storm,” Mr Iglesias said.

“There is some evidence these days which suggest that trees defray the energy of a storm and protect built structures,”

“Some of them are going to go down, that’s inevitable, but I think it’s important to realise that when you’re talking about an urban forest … it’s a fraction of 1 per cent that are affected at any given time by storms.”

ACT SES crews are still working their way through the remaining 200 outstanding jobs on the books as of Monday afternoon (11 December).

Interim ESA Commissioner Wayne Phillips urged those who had requested help to watch out for a call from his teams.

“Some people aren’t answering their phone, particularly today because they’re working, and we understand that, but also people are probably hesitant to answer their phone,” he said.

“It’s a Canberra number, so if you answer the phone, it will probably be the ESA.”

If you have asked for help and no longer need it, call 132 500 so resources can be reallocated.

About 300 people across the ACT ESA have been involved in the clean-up efforts and most have done multiple shifts.

This included staffing the community hub in Melba, where people could charge devices, pick up ice for eskies and throw away spoiled food.

Some people have had to throw out Christmas hams and turkeys, which had been bought ahead of the festive season.

RFS and SES community education and engagement coordinator Lucy Staniland has been among those helping at the Melba hub.

“It’s not an ideal situation, but everybody’s been pretty understanding that some things are out of our control and have been happy with what everyone’s been doing to help,” she said.

“We had one gentleman here this morning who still doesn’t have power, but he received a text as he was standing here saying it should be back on by tonight.”

EvoEnergy crews expect to work into the night to restore power to the remaining homes that have been in the dark since Friday.