10 August 2020

Wild weather stretches emergency services

| Michael Reid
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ACT SES

The ACT State Emergency Service has received more than 300 requests for assistance over the past 24 hours due to the wet and windy weather across Canberra.

Emergency Service crews supported by ACT Fire and Rescue, the ACT Rural Fire Service and Transport Canberra and City Services have completed 245 jobs, the majority for fallen trees and branches on roads and property.

Canberrans are urged to stay clear of fallen power lines and trees and be aware that trees and branches could fall in windy conditions.

Residents should stay indoors, clear of windows and stay away from creeks, drains, streams and gutters.

For more information on road closures visit www.tccs.act.gov.au or Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

For storm and flood assistance call the ACTSES on 132 500.

 

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wildturkeycanoe6:26 am 18 Jul 16

JC said :

Maya123 said :

These tarps they put over houses that have broken roof tiles, are they made of a special plastic? I reckon we should use plastic tarps for building roofs, because they seem to be able to weather storms a lot better than conventional methods.

The tarps don’t get put up *before* the storm, they get put up after. And they aren’t very durable.

I personally think most of these “emergencies” are caused by people who don’t bother clearing their gutters or pruning their trees.

Nothing beats a tin roof for hail damage, it won’t shatter or break.
I also think the emergency services are being wasted on cleaning up people’s flooded kitchens and bedrooms because of water seeping in through overflowing gutters. That isn’t exactly a life threatening situation, whereas a fallen tree or raging causeway is more likely to take somebody’s life. why can’t people simply calla plumber, handyman or roof tiler to do these tarp repairs? The ESA has more important things to do than prevent water damage to property, they are there to save lives.

Maya123 said :

These tarps they put over houses that have broken roof tiles, are they made of a special plastic? I reckon we should use plastic tarps for building roofs, because they seem to be able to weather storms a lot better than conventional methods.

The tarps don’t get put up *before* the storm, they get put up after. And they aren’t very durable.

I personally think most of these “emergencies” are caused by people who don’t bother clearing their gutters or pruning their trees.

wildturkeycanoe6:19 am 15 Jul 16

These tarps they put over houses that have broken roof tiles, are they made of a special plastic? I reckon we should use plastic tarps for building roofs, because they seem to be able to weather storms a lot better than conventional methods.

I have a question – every time there is a little bit of a storm, we hear of hundreds of people ringing the SES because they need help moving a fallen tree or putting up a tarp or replacing some broken roof tiles.
How many storms will it take before everything that can be broken in a storm, is broken in a storm?
Surely at some point everything will be broken and storms will no longer have anything that can break?
Or, is it the case that people continue building stuff that will inevitably break in a storm?
If so, why are my rates and taxes paying for services to people who are clearly trying to win a Darwin award?

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