Canberra experts continue QLD flood assistance

Three more ACT Emergency Service Agency (ESA) mapping experts will be sent to Queensland to relieve the volunteers currently assisting in the emerging flood emergency, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Simon Corbell, announced today.

"The volunteers will replace two other specialists who will return to Canberra after a week of assisting the effort," Mr Corbell said.

"The three volunteers will assist Red Cross Queensland in its emergency roles including producing maps of evacuation centres, community demographics and the location of displaced and isolated residences.

"The volunteers are part of the ESA Mapping and Planning Support group (MAPS)and are among the most highly skilled in their field in Australia."

Mr Corbell said they would focus on areas in rural Queensland and its border into far north-western New South Wales, carrying out specialist Mapping and Geographical Information System (G.I.S) tasks as part of the Major Incident Management team.

"The ACT ESA MAPS volunteers are fast developing a national reputation for their expertise in high level mapping in the spatial environment, and I'm proud that the ACT can provide specialist assistance during this crisis in Queensland."

Mr Corbell said they also provided assistance last year with similar flood operations in Queensland as well as assisting the Victorian Police search teams during the 2009 Victorian bushfire disaster.

"All Canberrans should be proud of these volunteers and the work they do."

"I wish them well during their deployment and also thank the employers of these further two specialist volunteers for releasing them to assist in the crisis."

The two volunteers from the ESA MAPS group will depart Canberra at approximately 930 tomorrow (Monday 13 February 2012) and be on deployment for five days. The two ESA MAPS volunteers currently in QLD will return home tomorrow evening.