ACT to provide assistance in QLD flood emergency

Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Simon Corbell, has announced that the ACT will send three Emergency Service Agency (ESA) mapping specialists to Queensland to assist in the emerging flood emergency.

"The three volunteers will depart the ACT later this afternoon following a request from the Queensland Red Cross," Mr Corbell said.

"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.

"They will undertake specialist Mapping and Geographical Information System (G.I.S) taskings assisting Red Cross Queensland in its emergency roles creating maps of evacuation centres, community demographics and the location of displaced and isolated residences."

As part of the Major Incident Management team, the volunteers will focus on areas in rural Queensland and its border into far north-western New South Wales.

"We have witnessed through the news the terrible devastation caused by this natural disaster in Northern New South Wales and through Queensland, and I am proud that the ACT can provide some specialist assistance during this crisis," Mr Corbell said.

"The ACT ESA MAPS volunteers are fast developing a national reputation for their expertise in high level mapping in the spatial environment.

"Their help was called on last year to assist 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 three specialist volunteers for releasing them to assist in the crisis."

The three volunteers from the ESA MAPS group will depart Canberra at approximately 1745 on Sunday February, 5, 2012, and be on deployment for five days.