In preparation for ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred's impact, Queensland and New South Wales made an urgent request for help. We activated the National Emergency Management Stockpile without delay. This made sure essential resources got to the communities that needed them most.  

We sent our full stock of 125,500 sandbags from the Effective Logistics Warehouse in Truganina, Melbourne, to Brisbane. Within 5 hours of arrival, the team distributed all of the sandbags to different Local Government Areas in South East Queensland. This rapid response made sure local authorities had the resources they needed. It helped residents reduce the impact of flooding on homes and businesses.  

Working with partners to quickly transport emergency supplies across the country 

Our key partnerships across the Australian Government improved our quick response. We used these partnerships to access the Defence Road Transport Panel to source and engage urgent road transport support. This helped us move the sandbags. Energy Logistix, a logistics company, based in South Australia, also played a key role in this operation. Their quick help and knowledge in logistics made sure the sandbags arrived into South East Queensland on time. 

We also responded to a request from New South Wales to assist with power outages caused by the severe weather conditions. We sent six large generators from our Stockpile to Tweed Heads South. We called on the Defence Road Transport Panel and engaged Energy Logistix for this operation once more. The logistics company offered a non-stop service to Tweed Heads to ensure the generators were delivered quickly. Thankfully, the power returned before the community needed the generators. But this provided peace of mind and a backup option for residents.  

Supporting community preparedness and recovery 

“The NEMS team are proud to be able to supplement the support state-based response agencies provide to communities in times of disaster,” said Bron Sparkes, Director, National Emergency Management Stockpile.  

These joint efforts highlight our commitment to offering prompt and effective support in emergencies. We formed strategic partnerships and used smart logistics to help Queensland and New South Wales when they needed it most. Delivering sandbags and generators helped lessen the severe weather's impact. It also showed how vital preparedness and teamwork are in emergency management. The proactive approach made sure affected communities got the resources they needed to protect lives and property.