News

NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) volunteers are converging in Ballina this weekend to test out local arrangements for preparing for and responding to tsunami impacts as part of a local training exercise.

Exercise ‘Bombora’ builds on the lessons learned from another recent tsunami based exercise ‘Puysegur Surge,’ which was conducted at Manly in November 2016. This exercise followed the June 2016 release of updated tsunami evacuation mapping based on potential inundation impact extent.

Exercise Bombora will address a scenario of a land-threat tsunami, with specific aim of raising the awareness of tsunami threat amongst NSW SES members, the broader community and further developing the capabilities of the NSW SES Ballina Unit and Richmond Tweed Region.

NSW SES will also be working closely with several supporting agencies and functional areas who have specific roles under the State Tsunami Plan such as NSW Marine Rescue, NSW Police Force, Ballina Shire Council and Surf Life Saving NSW.

This exercise has been developed internally within the NSW SES with a scope of the exercise determined for live land-threat evacuation of a small section of Shaw’s Bay and Lighthouse Beach, primed and focused around broader community engagement and discussion.