State Emergency Operations Centre stood up at Homebush for NSW flood emergency

The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) has been reactivated at Homebush
in response to the flooding emergency throughout New South Wales.

The SEOC is a central hub that brings officers from all the NSW Government response
agencies under one roof to ensure a coordinated, emergency response to the extreme
wet weather impacting many parts of the state.

The RFS Headquarters at Homebush has previously been used to coordinate the
government response to the bushfires and COVID-19.

From today, experts from critical agencies including the State Emergency Service,
Police, Fire and Rescue, Resilience NSW, Health, Planning, Rural Fire Service,
Service NSW and more will work alongside each other in the purpose-built operations.

State-of-the-art technology enables them to monitor the situation in real time and
coordinate a whole of government response with on-the-ground responders to
organise effective flood relief efforts.

The SEOC will be in operation to support the State Emergency Services (SES) as they
lead the emergency response to this significant weather event. It will also work with
Resilience NSW to lead emergency clean up and assist with commencement of
recovery activities, which are already underway alongside the emergency response.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said emergency response and recovery efforts were being
coordinated at the one time, to ensure assistance reaches as many people as
possible.

“It’s heartbreaking to see communities hit by such severe flooding for the second time
in 12 months, but I want to reassure everyone that our emergency response and
recovery planning are both well underway,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Activating the SEOC ensures that all government agencies come together and share
information to ensure a cohesive, coordinated and effective response.

“With all the expertise, experience, and knowledge under one roof, we are making
sure we do absolute everything we can to save lives, protect property and make the
recovery process as swift as possible.”

Planning is underway to open local recovery centres in impacted areas and the NSW
Government is working with local councils on waste management and clean-up
processes.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke encouraged people in
flood-affected communities to work with their local emergency services and listen to
the advice they were given.

“Our communities are still in the thick of this emergency with the danger far from over,
so I want to respectfully remind everyone to heed the SES advice,” Ms Cooke said.
“Many thousands of people are facing the threat of flooding and saving lives is our key
priority of the next few days.

“But recovery is not a process that starts when the emergency is over – recovery
planning is already underway to ensure we can get people and towns back to normal
as quickly as possible when the water starts to recede.”

As soon as waters recede and SES provides an all-clear, the flood damage
assessment will begin. Once the damage is assessed, appropriate Disaster
Declarations can be made which include assistance measures for individuals and
families, businesses, primary producers, non-profit organisations and local and state
governments.

Service NSW has also activated its emergency information and services resources in
response to the flooding, acting as a one-stop-shop to provide access to supports
across NSW Government partner agencies, local government, and the Australian
Government.

To connect with a Customer Care specialist, call Service NSW on 13 77 88.