Detailed below is the ADF involvement in the flood emergency in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
The list starts at the bottom of the article when the ADF was first called on to assist in Queensland on Friday February 25. It ends immediately below and includes activity up until last Sunday.
Sunday March 20:
• Defence continues its efforts to support the Queensland and NSW governments across a range of search and rescue, clean up and recovery tasks.
• Continuing liaison with SES Incident Management Teams and Emergency Operation Centres to identify and scope recovery tasks.
• Continuation of support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino, Coffs Harbour, Chinderah, Evans Head, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores, Stotts Creek, Tweed Heads, Broadwater, Woodburn, Coraki including heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• General duties teams in the Casino area continue to clear the complex debris from Casino High School.
• Personnel in Broadwater area to provide a handover, take over briefing to the local authorities.
• Curb to truck clearance at Upper Main Arm, Huonbrook and Ocean Shores near Byron Bay.
• Ongoing logistical support at Coffs Harbour.
Saturday, March 19:
• Continuation of support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino, Coffs Harbour, Chinderah, Evans Head, Doonbah, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores, Stotts Creek, Tweed Heads, Broadwater, Coraki including heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• Continue support to telecommunication companies, including Woodburn NBN Hub.
• Fijian Defence Force to continue to operate in Northern NSW around Tweed Heads.
• General duties teams in the Casino area to continue to clear the complex debris from Casino High School.
• Welfare checks to continue for vulnerable people in Lismore.
• Continue clean up and welfare checks in Coraki, Woodburn and Broadwater.
On Friday, March 18:
• Continuation of aviation and ground support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino, Chinderah, Coffs Harbour, Evans Head, Doonbah, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores, Stotts Creek, Tweed Heads, Tumbulgum, Broadwater, Coraki including heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• Engineering team in place in Lismore to provide specialist engineering support.
• The Fijian Defence Force commenced operations in the vicinity of Tweed Heads.
• General Duties teams in the Casino area cleared airfields, conducted food distribution, assisted at the distribution centre, and supported works at Casino High School.
• Welfare checks for vulnerable people will continue in Broadwater, Coraki, Lismore and Woodburn.
• Fijian force will continue operations in northern NSW.
• Continuation of support to telecommunications companies, including Woodburn NBN hub.
On Thursday, March 17:
• Continuation of aviation and ground support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Broadwater, Coraki, Doonbah and Woodburn.
• Continuation of support to telecommunications companies to restore communication services, including Woodburn NBN hub.
On Wednesday, March 16:
• Continuation of aviation and ground support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Evans Head, Stotts Creek, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Tweed Heads, Chinderah, Bryon Bay, Ocean Shores, Ballina, Casino, Coffs Harbour, including heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• Two helicopter missions flown: 2x CH-47 aircraft transferred personnel and supplied from Lismore and Casino to Woodenbong, Bonalbo, Malabugilmah; and an AW-139 aircraft conducted reconnaissance and community engagement in Byrrill Creek area (Tweed Shire).
• Clean-up tasks in vicinity of Upper Main Arm and Huonbrook, NSW (Northwest of Byron Bay).
• Welfare checks in vicinity of Federal and Eureka, NSW (West of Byron Bay).
• Continued plant operations and welfare checks in isolated townships such as Coraki, Woodburn and Broadwater.
• Continued support to telecommunication companies (including Woodburn NBN Hub) to restore communication services.
On Tuesday, March 15:
• Continuation of aviation and ground support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Evans Head, Stotts Creek, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Tweed Heads, Chinderah, Bryon Bay, Ocean Shores, Ballina, Casino, Coffs Harbour, including heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• Continued plant operations and welfare checks in isolated townships such as Coraki, Woodburn and Broadwater.
• Key support in Lismore: welfare checks of vulnerable people, support to garbage collection, debris removal at Lismore Public School and Richmond River High School, delivery of Singapore Government-donated relief stores.
• Debris removal and works on key government infrastructure and schools along the Bruxner Highway, Wyrallah Road and Ballina Road.
• Assistance to the Blakebrook, Rapville and Leville schools, and inserted a liaison officer team within the Casino Council.
• Helicopter and plant machine assets reinforced route access to isolated communities in Upper Wilsons Creek region.
• Welfare checks conducted for vulnerable people.
• Recovery operations along Nimbin temporary water pipeline.
• Continued support to telecommunications companies restoring communications services.
• House clearance recovery operations in Cabbage Tree Island.
• Assisted NSW SES transfer supplies to Hinton for further operations.
• Coordinated helicopter support to town mayors to reach isolated communities for critical community engagement.
On Monday, March 14:
• Continuation of aviation and ground support to northern NSW, including Lismore, Broadwater, Cabbage Tree Island, Coraki, Evans Head, Wallum and Woodburn.
• Continuation of support in Lismore includes: completed house-to-curb rubbish removal, delivery of 35 care packages to Lismore Base Hospital.
• Supported isolated communities in Tweed Shire Council area through welfare checks and route reconnaissance.
• Integrated ADF liaison officers into recovery coordination centres across affected regions, including Richmond Valley Council in Casino.
• Debris removal and works on key government infrastructure and schools along the Bruxner Highway, Wyrallah Road and Ballina Road.
• Provided assistance clearing flood damage to Blakebrook, Rappville and Leeville schools in northern NSW.
• Recovery operations along Nimbin temporary water pipeline.
• Continuation of ADF and NSW SES railway line assessments in northern NSW.
• Continued support to telecommunications companies restoring communications services.
• Conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of flood-damaged regions.
On Sunday, March 13:
• 10 ADF and Singaporean helicopters based at Oakey to support south-eastern Queensland and northern NSW with taskings, including search and rescue, aerial reconnaissance, food and stores distribution, patient transfer and logistics support: 4x Army MRH-90 Taipan, 2x Army CH-47F Chinook, 2x AW-139, and 2x CH-47F Chinook helicopters from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
• Continuation of aviation and ground support to northern NSW, including Evans Head, Stotts Creek, Lismore, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Tweed Heads, Chinderah, Bryon Bay, Ocean Shores, Ballina, Casino, Coffs Harbour, including heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• Continuation of embedding ADF personnel with NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and Rural Fire Services recovery centres.
• Continuation of clean-up of flood debris from Lismore Primary School and Richmond River High School.
• Continuation of heavy plant operations in Lismore and Tweed Heads.
• 150 tonnes of debris removed from Bruxner Highway and Wyrallah Road, facilitating access to schools and key government infrastructure.
• Continuation of reconnaissance along Nimbin water pipeline.
• Assisted NSW SES transfer supplies to Hinton for further operations.
• Delivered remainder of Singapore Government-donated disaster relief supplies from RAAF Base Amberley to Lismore.
• Received and established Air Force field kitchen in northern NSW.
• Prepared to establish a Role 1 medical capability at Evans Head.
• Continued intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance of flood-damaged regions in northern NSW and P-8A Poseidon aerial reconnaissance of northern NSW.
On Saturday, March 12:
• Continued clean-up efforts in towns across northern NSW, including Lismore, Ballina, Broadwater, Cabbage Tree Island, Coffs Harbour, Evans Head, Grafton, Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads, Wallum, Wardell and Woodburn. Additional ADF personnel transported to isolated townships such as Broadwater, Coraki and Woodburn.
• Accepted and began delivering initial Singapore Government-donated disaster relief supplies in Lismore.
• Supported contracted garbage collection in South Lismore, where more around 400 tonnes of rubbish has been removed to date.
• Plant operations and welfare checks continued in Broadwater, Coraki and Woodburn.