ADRA Emergency Management
ADRA Australia Emergency Management Website
Lithgow Chemical spill
A chemical spill involving WWII munitions led to the establishment of a 500 mtr exclusion zone. An evacuation centre was set up at 17.00 in the Lithgow Workies Club by CS and attended by representatives of Red Cross and ADRA. Approximately 150 people were registered. Community Services arranged for the club to feed them while we waited for the combat agencies to determine what it was. The initial thought was mustard gas but this was ruled out by 20.00. It took until 21.30 to determine the substance was not hazardous and the people went home.
Had we needed to accommodate people we had in excess of 65 rooms available
In the end no one was accommodated and the stand down happened 21.50
It is a reminder that disasters can take shapes other than fire and flood.