ADRA prepares for Cyclone Debbie

Communities in North Queensland are bracing for Tropical Cyclone Debbie, the severe Category 4 storm expected to hit on Tuesday morning. It’s the largest cyclone to make landfall in Australia since Yasi devastated the Townsville area in 2011.

ADRA Australia stands ready to respond. Kevin Munro, ADRA’s National Manager for Emergency Management, has flown in to coordinate ADRA’s response.

“A number of pre-positioned supplies including chainsaws and generators are ready to be deployed immediately,” Mr Munro said.

ADRA will work closely with local Seventh-day Adventist churches to provide whatever assistance is needed. 

Charlene Luzuk, Northern Australia conference ADRA director, has been deployed to Ayr to provide local support at the impact zone.

“ADRA has connections with some local networks and the SDA church conference has existing partnerships, which will support a quick and effective response,” Mr Munro said.

The Riverside Convention Centre and Ayr SDA church are ready to be used as evacuation centres if required, where ADRA will have a presence through its network of volunteers.

“Local residents are preparing well to mitigate this disaster, but we’re all bracing for the worst case scenario,” Mr Munro said.

Please pray that the cyclone’s impact will be limited and that no one is injured.