City of Bunbury assures storm clean up is 50 per cent done

The City of Bunbury has provided an update to the storm damage in Bunbury, stating the clean-up is “50 per cent done”. During a meeting on Friday afternoon, the City of Bunbury, along with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, informed residents on the progress made towards cleaning up after a second storm in a month battered Bunbury on June 4, just weeks after the May 10 tornado. City of Bunbury chief executive Alan Ferris said the clean up from the tornado was nearly complete with clean up from storm two well under way. “We’ve got 90 per cent of the debris from storm one collected, so that’s an enormous effort,” he said. “We’re probably about 50 per cent cleaned up from storm (two). There’s a significant amount of debris, trees et cetera that still need to be picked up.” “We really appreciate our local government partners help this weekend — we’ve had the Shire of Harvey reaching out and lending us equipment so they can assist in the clean up.” DFES community preparedness adviser Haley Hibbitt reiterated cleaning up properties was the best way to prevent storm damage and protect homes and lives this winter. “Any storm can do damage, particularly if you’ve got things around your home or in your backyard,” she said. “Most storm damage occurs from things like loose, rusty or broken roofing materials, projectiles such as trees and branches or furniture.” She said now was the time to prepare by making a safety kit filled with things such as batteries, torches or anything that would come in handy if community members were forced to evacuate. “Take the time to plot an evacuation route and a back up in case roads get blocked or crowded. If we say a road is closed, do not drive through it,” Ms Hibbitt said. Having a plan for pets was also important. The community meeting comes after the South Western Times revealed the damage bills are piling up for locals impacted by the storm, with the owners of the Parade Hotel citing they will need to fork out up to $1 million for repairs. The City of Bunbury is also facing a hefty tab, citing about $400,000 in clean-up and damage expenses.