A team of Tasmanian SES volunteers is heading to Queensland to help their mainland counterparts battle devastating floods across the state.
The group of 20 volunteers – six from the south, five from the north and nine from the north-west – will assist with the ongoing flood response.
Two people have died in the disaster, including an 82-year-old woman who was found in a cane paddock and a 63-year-old woman who was in a dinghy which overturned during a rescue attempt.
Parts of northern Queensland have been inundated since Saturday, with nearly two metres of rain falling across the region.
Acting Assistant Director of Operations and Resources Cheryl Ames said the Tasmanian team will put their skills and experience to use in flood-affected areas.
“This is the first deployment of on-the-ground resources from Tasmania for this event, with further requests for resourcing support possible over the coming weeks,” she said.
“We are nationally renowned for helping our mainland counterparts whenever and however we can, and that reputation is something we are extremely proud of.”
The team will be on the ground for three days over the weekend before returning to Tasmania on Monday.
Ames said another Tasmanian team may be deployed in the coming weeks if needed.
“Deployments of support such as this are critical in the provision of efficient planning and response to emergency events and Tasmanians can be very proud of the abilities of our emergency services members,” she said.
