Ministerial Statement

Extreme Weather Conditions

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health, Minister Assisting the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (21:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I wish to update the house on the extreme weather forecast for South Australia in the next 36 to 48 hours. I have been advised by the State Emergency Service that a low pressure trough is deepening as it moves across the state from today through to late Saturday. This has resulted in the development of widespread thunderstorms and periods of heavy rain across a broad area from eastern Eyre Peninsula stretching across the Flinders, south of the north-east pastoral district, the Mid North, Yorke Peninsula, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, the Riverland, the Murraylands and the South-East.

The weather has been exacerbated by a combination of heat and tropical moisture that is generating unstable atmospheric conditions across the state. Thunderstorms are expected to affect most districts, with possible daily rainfalls of around 50 millimetres and totals between Thursday and Saturday of up to 100 millimetres. A flood watch warning has been issued for most catchments across the state and a number of other warnings are current, including a marine wind warning and severe thunderstorm warnings across the state. These conditions give rise to potential risks associated with flash flooding, severe weather damage, trees down, water over roads, rockfalls, lightning and localised hailstorms.

This morning, the State Emergency Service raised its level of preparedness to high and activated its state control centre and an incident management team. These will remain operational 24/7 throughout the event. A briefing has also occurred across agencies at the State Emergency Centre. Emergency services have already responded to 200 incidents throughout the day. The SES expects this number to increase rapidly as the front moves through the Adelaide metropolitan area and the Mount Lofty Ranges later tonight.

SES volunteers and other emergency services are on high alert, with swiftwater rescue crews on stand-by. Earlier this afternoon, the SES and local councils distributed sandbags from a number of locations in the Adelaide metropolitan area, the Mount Lofty Ranges, the Mid North and the Riverland. I am also advised by the Minister for Communities that a Code Blue has been activated throughout the state, with services connected to that. The SES will continue to lead the response and is working closely with the Country Fire Service, the Metropolitan Fire Service, SA Police and councils across the state.

I encourage South Australians to keep a close eye on the weather by listening to radio updates and warnings on a battery-powered radio and monitoring mainstream and social media. Please do not drive through floodwaters at any time. I urge South Australians to stay safe and dry this weekend and give a thought for our selfless SES and CFS volunteers, who will be working hard day and night to keep our communities safe. I thank them for their dedicated service.