Sadly, for many West Australians 2021 was a year they won’t forget.
The Wooroloo Bushfire caused extensive damage to residential properties within the City of Swan and Shire of Mundaring in February 2021. Across the local government areas over 10,000 hectares were burnt and 86 properties were destroyed, with many more damaged by the fire. The bushfire had a devastating impact on the community.
The fire was declared a Level 3 incident on 2 February and it remained unpredictable. An Emergency Situation declaration was issued on the same day. Ground response was supported by 25 aircraft including fixed wing water bombers, helitaks, the Erickson air-crane and three large air tankers (LATs). Through the extraordinary efforts of more than 500 emergency service responders, no lives were lost and more than 200 properties inside the fire perimeter were saved.
The Large Air Tankers were able to lay down suppressant to contain the fire in areas our firefighters could not access
On 6 February, after a monumental response effort, the fire was declared contained and under control. Over the six days it burned an area of more than 10,500 hectares inside a perimeter of 154km, with 86 properties lost and more than 100 damaged. Following the devastating bushfire, the State Recovery Team was established by DFES to provide significant support and assistance to those affected by the fire to enable the recovery process.
The State Recovery Coordination Group (SRCG) – Partnership Forum was initiated under the oversight of the State Recovery Controller, Wooroloo Bushfire, Dr Ron Edwards, and includes the contributions of additional representatives involved in supporting recovery, beyond the core SRCG membership group. An important aspect of the Partnership Forum is that it has brought into the communications and governance framework, some key non-government entities and resources in our community.
The Wooroloo bushfire caused widespread power outages
The recovery package of $18.1 million was provided though jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) to provide support for ongoing recovery efforts, including:
- a residential clean-up program, focusing on removing bushfire damaged waste for rebuilding
- a community recovery and outreach program to lead community driven recovery projects, including access to emotional support services
- a recreational asset restoration program to prioritise the clean-up and repair of community assets relied upon for everyday activities
In addition to this, the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund raised $16.7 million, 80 per cent of which has been disbursed directly to those in need.
The road to recovery will be a long process for affected community members and these programs are designed to provide support and essential services to help people through this challenging time.
Current Wooroloo recovery program information can be found on the Emergency WA website.