The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) is conducting a community flood hypothetical exercise in September for Manning Point, Mitchells and Oxley Islands residents. The event will be held at Club Manning Point on Sunday 14th September from 10:00am to 12:30pm.
The aim of the event is to get people thinking about early evacuation and what actions individuals and communities can take to help emergency services protect life and minimise property damage during floods and coastal erosion events.
The scenarios for the “tabletop” exercise will be based on the rainfall totals and river heights that occurred during May 2025 combined with a coastal erosion event.
The format for the day will include the presentation of a series of hypothetical scenarios to a panel of emergency service representatives who will explain what their agency would be doing in response to the flood/erosion situation.
The emergency services panel will include representatives from NSW Police, NSW SES, Mid Coast Council, NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW Fire and Rescue, Department of Communities and Justice, Marine Rescue, NSW Reconstruction Authority and Local Land Services.
After the presentation of the scenario and feedback from emergency services, community participants working in small groups will then be asked to think about and record what actions individuals and communities could take that will complement the strategies of emergency services.
Participants in the workshop will receive a free home emergency kit which includes a gutter scoop, first aid kit, document holder, phone recharging power bank and crank AM/FM radio.
At the conclusion of the hypothetical a free lunch will be provided and there will be an opportunity for residents to meet and talk with their local emergency services.
The results of the small group discussions will be collated into a report that outlines best practice preparation, response and recovery strategies for the area.
NSW SES Northern Zone Deputy Commander Tony Day said,” The need for the exercise has been brought about by the significant erosion of the Manning Point sand spit during the May floods. The consequence of this damage to the sand spit is that we now have an increased risk of inundation of all of Manning Point and the need for the community there to strongly consider early evacuation.”
People wanting to attend are invited register for catering purposes and to receive a copy of the exercise document before the event by visiting
https://forms.office.com/r/TDVchgx9QB
Also check out other Workshops in Harrington.
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