The South Australian State Emergency Service (SASES) has issued an evacuation order resulting in relocation of 6 people from the Riverbend Caravan Park, Renmark.
Chris Beattie, Chief Officer, SASES said the evacuation order has been issued to address public safety risk from a possible levee failure.
“Earlier today, engineers assessed the private levee built at the Riverbend Caravan Park and identified a number of significant defects which puts the levee at risk of failure. If the levee fails, there is a risk of flooding which may impact anyone in the park behind the levee.”
“Based on the engineers’ assessment, 6 people were evacuated from the park this evening. The park is now closed until further notice and regular patrols will be present in the area.”
“SASES in conjunction with Department for Environment and Water (DEW) is assessing private levees built along key areas of the river. If the assessment results in public safety risks being identified, mitigation steps including the potential evacuation of the areas will be implemented.”
“People’s safety is our priority, followed by property. It is important for people to know their risks and enact their emergency plan and access up-to-date information from trusted sources.”
If people require relief assistance and temporary accommodation or information, an Emergency Relief Centre is open at Berri Senior Citizens Hall, 9 Crawford Terrace, Berri.
Riverbend Caravan Park also updated their community on Facebook about the closure, saying “It is important to correct that the levees did not break nor was the Park inundated with water.
“We have been working tirelessly with the authorities on the engineering of our levees and have been conducting regular inspections with them to ensure the continued safety of our guests.
“This was a precautionary decision in the best interest of our guests.
“All guests in Park at the time of the decision were given ample notice before the evacuation was activated.
“Unfortunately, the hour of this decision meant upcoming guests weren’t contacted prior to the public announcement.
“All guests with upcoming bookings will be contacted in the coming days to discuss rebooking their well deserved holiday. Our Standard Cancellation Policy will be adapted for this event as well.
“We thank all our guest for their support, concern, well wishes and patience as we continue working towards protecting the Park.
“Please keep following our Facebook page for updates,”
Stay informed:
- Check the SES website at www.ses.sa.gov.au
- Monitor local conditions and tune in to your local ABC on a battery-powered radio for updates
- Call the SA Emergency Infoline on 1800 362 361
- People who are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, can contact the SA Emergency Infoline via the National Relay Service on 1800 555 727 (TTY users 1800 555 677)
- Follow the SES on Twitter (@SA_SES) or Facebook (SA State Emergency Service)
- For weather warnings and forecasts visit www.bom.gov.au.
- For SES assistance phone 132 500. If the matter is life threatening call 000 (triple zero).
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