More workers will be on the ground to help Belconnen recover from January’s storm, as the ACT Government continues its coordinated clean-up effort.
“More than 20 workers from the ACT Parks and Conservation Service have this week joined Transport Canberra and City Services’ tree crews to help speed up the removal of trees and debris across Belconnen,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.
“Even with these extra resources, the large number of damaged trees and branches on public land means that the storm clean-up is going to take several months.”
These workers have joined the 20 members of our TCCS clean-up crew who have been hard at work to clear the damage since the storm struck.
“As part of the additional capability on the ground, a dedicated Storm Response Coordinator will strategically manage resources and ensure the most affected areas are dealt with as quickly as possible.”
“The highest priority for our clean-up crews has been to make safe immediate hazards on public land and to clear roads, driveways and pathways,” Minister Steel said.
As this work has been completed, the focus has shifted to clearing fallen trees and debris in high-use areas around shopping centres and schools.
Our attention will then turn to nature strips, playgrounds, sportsgrounds and parks.
“The scale of the damage, as well as the need for crews to work in a COVID-safe way, means the recovery will take some time. The recovery efforts may also be impacted by further storm activity, if crews are redeployed to address urgent safety issues following a future storm event,” said Deputy Chief Minister and Member for Ginninderra Yvette Berry.
“People in Belconnen will start to see signage installed throughout the suburbs and electronic signs on arterial roads indicating storm clean-up is ongoing.”
“The ESA and SES volunteers did an incredible job in responding quickly and effectively to the storm damage. While not their usual role, ESA and SES continue to support agencies leading the recovery effort. The safety of Canberrans remains a priority of the ACT Government and will continue helping Canberrans prepare for extreme weather events,” said Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mick Gentleman.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their patience as our crews work hard to clean-up the region, but please remember to be safe when approaching areas damaged by the storm,” said Minister and Member for Ginninderra Tara Cheyne.
“There are currently more than 2000 requests for help logged through ‘Fix My Street’ and completed clean-up audits. We appreciate the community letting us know where work needs to be completed and encourage them to continue to do so.”
Canberrans are also asked to remember:
