Cyclone Seroja response report finds number of lessons to be learnt, citing training and finance difficulties

A new report from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services has found a number of flaws in the initial response to cyclone Seroja, in areas such as training, finances and communication. The report found some personnel had to be “trained on the job” and some teams were “overwhelmed” by the demands of managing finances. According to the findings, many personnel did not have hazard management training when deployed to respond to the April 2021 cyclone which devastated large parts of the Mid West, and increased training for uniformed and non-uniformed personnel was recommended. In particular, there was found to be a lack of suitable personnel for administration and distributing finances, as well as a lack of “robust processes” which led to a slow approval process. The sheer volume of data also slowed down the response, as analysts struggled to identify useful information rapidly. Although DFES was found to provide timely information, it was recommended that the department make it clearer that it is the only verified source of truth during a disaster, because there was outdated information being spread through channels such as community groups and Facebook messages. The report also suggested communities could have been better educated about how to prepare for and respond to cyclones, because emergency planning in affected areas usually focused on bushfires. Minister for Emergency Services Stephen Dawson said DFES handled the “unprecedented” disaster of cyclone Seroja well, and that he has been advised DFES will learn from its lessons. “These reports are ordinarily produced after an incident and I expect agencies involved will learn from these lessons for future events, to ensure WA follows best practices with the first and foremost priority of community safety,” he said. Shadow minister for emergency services Martin Aldridge said these findings were not a surprise. “As I travel around the State, there probably isn’t an SES volunteer which doesn’t stop me and say ‘we need to strengthen the SES, we need to strengthen SES capacity at the higher ranks’,” he said. Mr Aldridge said a special inquiry should be established by the Government to investigate the reponse to cyclone Seroja at a wider level. Mr Aldridge also called on the Government to release its After Action Review into the response, which he said is long overdue. “We’re talking as a society about the impacts of climate change in the future . . . we’re going to see more frequent cyclones according to the Bureau of Meteorology . . . which begs the question, what are we doing to prepare?”