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Speaker 1: We know that the situation in Alice Springs yesterday, well

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Speaker 1: it was quite frightening. There was people, well there was

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Speaker 1: one particular lady who was in the burst Todd River

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Speaker 1: clinging to a tree. Fortunately, Northern Territory Police able to

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Speaker 1: rescue her a little later in the day. Joining us

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Speaker 1: live on the line is James gray Spence, the deputy

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Speaker 1: Deputy Regional Controller in Alice. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Cody, and good morning to your listen.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, James,

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Speaker 1: tell us how did that rescue go yesterday with the

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Speaker 1: lady that we'd spoken about who'd been clinging to the tree.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so, just after lunch, as the water continued to receive,

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Speaker 2: both police and and test her on site put together

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Speaker 2: a rescue plan for a shore based rescue and that

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Speaker 2: involved police officers linking up with the lady who was

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Speaker 2: stranded and then being pulled into share by the antest

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Speaker 2: people wearing the appropriate protective equipment. So a really good

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Speaker 2: result from that rescue.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks goodness. I mean it looked like it would

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Speaker 1: have been pretty terrifying if if you were you know,

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Speaker 1: if you were her, But fortunate and just goes to

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Speaker 1: sort of show you the incredible work I think that

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Speaker 1: NTEST does.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. It was indicative of the broader work done

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Speaker 2: not only by the bollies from NTEST, but they were

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Speaker 2: joined by their colleagues from Bushfires Northern Territory, and the

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Speaker 2: bollies were at work all day from very early in

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Speaker 2: the morning and they were still packing sandbags late in

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Speaker 2: the other before going home and responding to calls from

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Speaker 2: members of the public on the one three two five

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Speaker 2: hundred numbers throughout the day as well, one three two

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Speaker 2: five hundred number.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, Hey, James, tell me how, like, how did

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Speaker 1: things fare throughout the day yesterday? I mean, there was

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Speaker 1: a lot of moving pieces when we'd spoken early in

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Speaker 1: the morning, and it sounded like there was quite a

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Speaker 1: bit that the police, emergency services, the whole community really

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Speaker 1: had to do in terms of having a look at

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Speaker 1: the damage that had been caused and I guess potential

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Speaker 1: threats as you know, if more rain is coming.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly right. Our message yesterday was clear that even

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Speaker 2: though some of the water levels were receding around town,

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Speaker 2: we did expect further rainfall and that's the message that

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Speaker 2: we took into last night as they event stayed at

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Speaker 2: a watch and act overnight. We didn't want people to

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Speaker 2: become complacent because there was still the threat of severe

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Speaker 2: thunderstorms doing isolated drops, and we knew with the soak

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Speaker 2: catchment the rivers could raise again in whole Will I

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Speaker 2: quite please with people. They took that advice on board

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Speaker 2: and that allowed us not only to respond to calls

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Speaker 2: to service through the NTEST line, but as you said,

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Speaker 2: there was a body of work throughout the community, especially

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Speaker 2: Alice Springstown Council, Tanganjier Council and other stakeholders and groups

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Speaker 2: getting out there on the ground, clearing roads, trying to

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Speaker 2: open up as many crossings as we could before close

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Speaker 2: of business. We still have a number of closures around

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Speaker 2: town that people need to be aware of, and probably

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Speaker 2: key for the town is the crossing there at wills

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Speaker 2: Terrace that Alice Springstown Council will continue to work on

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Speaker 2: and we'll monitor the road closures going forward today, but

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Speaker 2: we're hoping to minimize the diversions as we continue our cleanup.

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Speaker 1: How is the weather forecast looking for the next sort

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Speaker 1: of twenty four to forty eight hours. Does it seem

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Speaker 1: as though things are going to subside? A little bit

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Speaker 1: or are you still worried that they may be further flooding.

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Speaker 2: Well, we did have a severe understorm warning issued overnight,

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Speaker 2: but we didn't see it eventuate into heavy falls into

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Speaker 2: the catchment. So the rainfalls here since nine am have

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Speaker 2: only been in the one to one and a half

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Speaker 2: mill range, with some heavier falls out west. We know

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Speaker 2: that not everything goes in the rain gage, and we

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Speaker 2: did see some blips in the catchment areas for the

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Speaker 2: Todd River, but they've continued to recede and are continuing

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Speaker 2: to recede, so we're likely to see the event go

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Speaker 2: from a watch and Act down to an advice level,

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Speaker 2: which is decreasing threat for flood. So if that warning

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Speaker 2: hasn't gone out on Secure mt just before we've spoken,

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Speaker 2: it'll be going up on the website as we speak now.

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Speaker 2: So we still want people to understand that we do

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Speaker 2: have a so catchment, there is still some cloud cover

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Speaker 2: around that, conditions do continue to ease, and we'll get

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Speaker 2: an update from the Bureau about the longer term forecast

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Speaker 2: at eleven now.

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Speaker 1: I know that there's been some criticism within the community,

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Speaker 1: and certainly we've had some people contact us sort of saying,

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Speaker 1: you know, I will fear it was a situation where,

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Speaker 1: you know, we didn't sort of realize that this was

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Speaker 1: going to happen. That maybe the bomb could have alerted

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Speaker 1: people more quickly to to that severe weather. I mean,

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Speaker 1: what do you say to those in the community that maybe.

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Speaker 2: Feel like that, Well, I think there certainly needs to

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Speaker 2: be an appreciation of the different climate and geography throughout

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Speaker 2: the territory, and definitely the Northern Emergency Region in the

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Speaker 2: Southern Emergency Region faced very different threats. Now, what we

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Speaker 2: know is that we received a massive amount of rainfall

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Speaker 2: during a short period of time directly into the Todd

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Speaker 2: River catchment and our rivers here they've got very shallow beds,

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Speaker 2: it's rock at sand, and they're very responsive to that

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Speaker 2: level of an event which was unexpected and unanticipated. So

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Speaker 2: the alerts and mornings went out as soon as we

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Speaker 2: possibly could, and we kept them up to date throughout

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Speaker 2: the day. And the clear message here is not only

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Speaker 2: be aware of the conditions with the alerts that are

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Speaker 2: issued through the bomb in the lead up to any event,

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Speaker 2: but also once the events occurred, and down here in

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Speaker 2: Southern they can occur at very short notice and have

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Speaker 2: quite severe impacts. Then monitoring alerts going forward and following

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Speaker 2: the directions through secure Ento.

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Speaker 1: James Grace Bence, what is the message for those living

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Speaker 1: in Alice Springs this morning? Obviously you know we broadcast

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Speaker 1: all the way down there as well, or people certainly

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Speaker 1: listening down there. What is the message for territori ins

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Speaker 1: this morning?

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Speaker 2: So yeah, definitely go on to secure ENTI look at

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Speaker 2: the advice as it comes out later this morning. Please

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Speaker 2: follow it for the conditions the bomb website. It's there

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Speaker 2: for anything that develops after this point in time. Message

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Speaker 2: from our colleagues at the Department. The dly for the

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Speaker 2: roads is that still check the road reporters conditions ease,

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Speaker 2: don't be complacent plan your travel if you can delay

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Speaker 2: travel to essential travel only. It lets the roads in

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Speaker 2: the wide es Central Australia region dry out a bit

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Speaker 2: so we don't get damage there and assist the contractors

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Speaker 2: just with the road surface there closer to town. Monitor

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Speaker 2: local information in the Todd River crossings will let you

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Speaker 2: know when some of those crossings become available when we've

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Speaker 2: cleared the debris. A bit late in the day, people

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Speaker 2: know that the schools are back in session. Buses are running,

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Speaker 2: but there'll still be diversions in some slight delays as well.

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Speaker 2: We'll get together as a local emergency committee at eleven

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Speaker 2: and then further updates will be provided after lunch.

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Speaker 1: Good stuff well, James Grace Bency, Deputy Regional Controller. Great

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Speaker 1: to speak with you this morning, really appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Gadie.

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Speaker 1: You two