Saturday, March 26, 2011

US Military Engineers Fly in to Assist with Rockhampton Airport Flood Recovery

Two high-ranking US military engineers flew into Rockhampton Airport recently, and immediately got down to the business of making sure that the city's airport will stay open during the next big flood.

The US Army officers are on a mission to help with re-build and flood-proofing of the airport, and their report could lead to increased American involvement in fixing the problem.

Major General Mick Slater, who leads the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, said yesterday the engineers had the expertise necessary to find a solution, but it would eventually be up to politicians to make it happen.

The engineers are highly trained and experienced, and may come up with new options. They will return to the US to finalise their report and provide advice about what they think is possible. Then it will be up to the politicians here and in the US to discuss how best to get the work done.

Major General Slater said there was now a partnership between the council, the reconstruction authority and the US military engineers to help find a solution to the airport flooding problems. There is the possibility is that the US could make a contribution to some of the work required at the Airport.

Two Lieutenant Colonels – one a construction specialist and the other a hydrology engineer, will spend the next few days in Rockhampton working with the airport's engineers and studying the lay-out of the airport which sits on low-lying land on the Yeppen flood plain.

On arrival from Hawaii they spent an hour with Major General Slater in Brisbane during which he briefed them on the importance of the airport.

He believes that they now understand the role the airport plays, not just for the Rockhampton community, but as a hub for the whole of Central Queensland.

On their arrival in Rockhampton, the engineers met with Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter and airport management and engineers, who explained the specific nature of the flooding, which closed the airport for 23 days in January, and the extensive work already carried out on possible ways to fix the problems.

Meanwhile, Cr Brad Carter met Australian Defence Force top brass in Canberra recently to discuss the future of the Shoalwater Bay military training area, but the council’s own experts refused to brief him so he could prepare for the meeting.

He was told that the information that council officers had on the next war games exercises involving Australian and US defence forces, was secret.

Cr Carter had requested a brief about the forthcoming Talisman Sabre joint exercises, to be held in the military training area north of Byfield, to prepare for his meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, David Feency. He received advice that council officers were required to comply with confidentiality arrangements with the Australian Defence Force and they were not able to provide him with the information that he requested.

Cr Carter has indicated he favours greater use of the Shoalwater Bay training area and closer links to the military to benefit the regional economy. Also on the agenda at yesterday’s meeting were road issues, military use of Rockhampton Airport and possible new investments.

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