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Flood recovery checklists for farmsteads
C
BY VO THE TRUYEN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, VEGETABLESWA
arnarvon experienced substantial winds and nearly double its annual rainfall between February 4–5, 2021, which resulted in the worst flooding the region has seen since 2010.
The Gascoyne River peaked at Nine Mile Bridge at 7.2m — its previous highest peak was 7.7m in 2010. Land and farmsteads along North River Road, west of the Bibbawarra intersection, and along Robinson Road were significantly inundated.
Although the visual assessment revealed up to 80 per cent of plantations had little to no flooding from the river, all farms in the region were waterlogged. Here are a few considerations for fruit and vegetable growers during this challenging time.
1. Living space and packing sheds Recommendations: • Wild animals First, check all living spaces for wild animals. Wild animals tend to move to higher ground to avoid flooding, so carefully check in and around living spaces to make sure there are none present. If you do locate them, it is advised that you do not try to capture or repel them. Instead speak with the local incident/rescue services, for example Carnarvon Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, 344 Robinson Street Carnarvon, (08) 9941 1013.
PHOTO © THE WEST
Carnarvon received nearly double its annual rainfall between February 4–5, 2021.
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WA Grower AUTUMN 2021
