RIVER MURRAY FLOODS WORKING TOGETHER TO RECOVER AND REBUILD

Following the largest flood in South Australia in more than 50 years, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport continues to work closely with local government and industry to support communities across the region in their recovery process.

The state’s road network is the lifeblood of regional communities and the Riverland and Murraylands are no exception.

The South Australian State Emergency Service estimates almost 1,200 kilometres of road and almost 3,300 properties, including more than 360 residences, were impacted by flood waters.

Together with our contract partners and agencies across government, many staff have worked many extra hours to facilitate essential repairs and works to ensure vital infrastructure and services could re-open.

Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator, Toni Scarlett, is part of our community engagement team who were on the ground as flood waters peaked and now continue to ensure affected locals and stakeholders are front and centre during the recovery process.

“Flooding in the Riverland and Murraylands has presented a huge challenge for affected communities, businesses, and authorities over the past few months," said Ms Scarlett.

“I spent a lot of time travelling around the region and meeting with the community to provide updates on road closures, marine safety, and the status of ferry crossings.

“People living along the river are resilient by nature and I was constantly amazed at the community spirit and willingness of everyone to roll up their sleeves and help wherever it was needed.

“Whether this was the local SES commander helping to change my flat tyre without a second thought, or the strong relationships we built with council staff, contractors and other government agencies – everyone was so focused on doing what we could to help the community get back on their feet.

“While recovery is still an ongoing journey for many in the community and the Department – with more works and further planning underway – I am very proud to have played a small part to support South Australians through one of the biggest natural disasters in the state’s history.”

All flood-affected state government roads and ferries are now back open, a significant milestone given many of these roads were heavily inundated for months.

Repairs to the road network ranged from minor defects such as small potholes and cracks in the road surface, to major failures and the complete wash out of road sections. Where possible, our teams have been supporting local suppliers and businesses – helping to strengthen community recovery.

As well as maintaining Department owned infrastructure and services, support was provided to other government agencies, including: µ engineering and project management advice on levees at Renmark, Mannum, Lake Bonney and on the Goyder Highway. µ the construction of an access track at Young Husband to allow residents to access their properties after regular roads had been inundated. µ assisting local councils to maintain sealed and unsealed detour routes.

Road maintenance, marine and planning teams have now turned their attention to longer term repairs and reconstruction activities to improve the resilience of the impacted transport network to withstand future natural disaster events.

As more people return to the region and get back on the water, the Department’s Marine Safety team also continues to monitor the river for debris and hazards.

Water users who notice any debris either in the water or submerged parts are encouraged to submit a marine safety report by visiting marinesafety.sa.gov.au

For more information on the River Murray flood recovery, visit www.recovery.sa.gov.au