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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Krystal Sellars

Hero SES unit: a year's worth of calls for help in just two weeks

SES volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
ALL HANDS ON DECK: Australian Defence Force, State Emergency Service and Cessnock District Rescue Squad volunteers, pictured with Hunter MP Dan Repacholi at the Cessnock base. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
BIG TASK: State Emergency Service volunteers assist with the flood clean-up in the Wollombi area. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Two crews from the Victorian SES helped with the response in Cessnock. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
A truly national response! From left to right - NT, NSW, Vic and SA SES team members! All working to assist the Cessnock community. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Australian Defence Force personnel were deployed to Cessnock to assist after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet met with SES volunteers at the Cessnock Airport base on July 8, 2022. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
SES volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
The Australian Defence Force was deployed to Wollombi to assist after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
Volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
SES volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
SES volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
SES volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)
SES volunteers assisting in the Cessnock area after the July 2022 flood. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)

The NSW State Emergency Service's Cessnock City Unit attends about 250 to 270 call outs in an average year.

But with disaster-declared floods in March and July, 2022 it has not been an average year for any of the Hunter-based units.

The Cessnock unit has already attended 603 jobs this year, including 232 in the first two weeks of July, with volunteers flying in from all over the country to help.

Cessnock City Unit commander Jenny Ehmsen said it has been a "mammoth effort" from everyone involved.

The unit received 232 requests for assistance in the first fortnight of the month, including more than 80 in one day at the height of the rain on Tuesday, July 5.

BIG TASK: State Emergency Service volunteers assist with the flood clean-up in the Wollombi area. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)

These call outs included 12 flood rescues, 12 evacuations and 19 calls for resupplies in isolated communities, along with the usual storm and sandbagging jobs.

Many of the evacuations and resupplies completed by air using helicopters from the operational airbase that was established at Cessnock Airport.

Twenty members of the Cessnock City Unit were active on operations during this period, assisted by crews from Camden Haven on the Mid-North Coast, and interstate crews from Victoria, South Australia and Northern Territory.

Teams from the SES's Singleton and Maitland units helped with flood rescues and the Cessnock District Rescue Squad was also on hand.

Australian Defence Force and Rural Fire Service personnel assisted with the clean-up operations at Wollombi.

The volunteers worked for 12 days straight, before the operation shifted from the response phase to recovery.

"It's been a blur - it's certainly been a very, very busy two weeks," Ms Ehmsen said.

"For several of our members it was their first major event.

"And they were backing up until we got the interstate crews in.

"We had a lot of help from interstate crews, people from the Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria, who dropped everything at a moment's notice.

"It was a really good effort from everybody."

GRATITUDE: NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet met with SES volunteers at the Cessnock Airport base on July 8, 2022. Picture: NSW SES - Cessnock City Unit (Facebook)

And with more rain on the way this week, Ms Ehmsen said they'll be "ready for whatever the weather throws at us next".

The July flood was the second natural disaster in the Cessnock LGA this year, following the March weather event that saw the Cessnock City SES receive 78 call outs in a two-week period.

In the midst of the latest crisis, the unit had to postpone its open day (which was planned for July 9). A new date will be announced soon.

Anyone who is interested in joining the SES can find out more at ses.nsw.gov.au/get-involved.

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