Activewest Stadium used as evacuation centre but Geraldton unlikely to get purpose-built facility anytime soon

As Geraldton was preparing for the cyclone that never came two weeks ago, Activewest Stadium opened its doors as an evacuation centre.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services worked with the City of Greater Geraldton and Department of Communities to make sure everyone in Geraldton had a safe place to turn during the storm.

Geraldton was lucky enough to have a still night after spending a few hours under red alert.

The evacuation centre opened on Friday morning on March 27 in preparation for a predicted category one cyclone that night, with people trickling in throughout the day.

In the past, evacuation centres for natural disasters have been set up at the QEII Seniors and Community Centre.

A DFES spokesperson said a key consideration for choosing the stadium was the capacity.

“The Department of Communities and the City of Greater Geraldton identified Activewest Stadium as an appropriate evacuation centre to be used to support people with shelter arrangements in the emergency response to severe tropical cyclone Narelle,” the spokesperson said.

In total, 32 people stayed at the centre overnight, including travellers, backpackers and rough sleepers.

Mayor Jerry Clune said he dropped in to visit the evacuation centre that afternoon and found it “very welcoming”.

Geraldton rarely has to worry about cyclones and Mr Clune said he didn’t see Geraldton getting a dedicated evacuation centre anytime soon.

“I don’t really think that would be on the cards,” he said.

“When we had the bushfires here a few months ago, we opened up our own QEII as an evacuation centre, and it wasn’t widely used, but it is a resource for people to actually come and get a bit of respite if necessary.”

Mr Clune said a wide range of factors would need to be considered in planning an evacuation centre, such as capacity and suitability for bushfires and high category cyclones.