NSW: Army says its up to tying tarpaulins onto damaged homes

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-1999
NSW: Army says its up to tying tarpaulins onto damaged homes

SYDNEY, April 22 AAP - A senior army officer today laughed off State Emergency Service
(SES) claims that soldiers were incapable of tying tarpaulins onto hailstorm damaged homes in
Sydney.

However, Lieutenant Colonel Phil Charlesworth refused to be drawn on whether the army
should have been called in sooner to help the clean-up effort following last Wednesday night's
devastating storm.

"We know we are capable of doing things but we know that we must respond to an invitation,"
Lt Col Charlesworth told journalists here.

"We can't unilaterally go out there and do the job."

Asked if soldiers were capable of tying on tarpaulins, he said: "Absolutely."

Soldiers would be "champing at the bit to help Sydney residents", he said.

The SES last week said the army would not be called in to help in the clean-up because
soldiers did not know how to tie down tarpaulins.

Lt Col Charlesworth said he could understand why SES director-general Hori Howard had not
asked for help.

"If the DG of the SES deems his people are capable of doing the job the last thing he wants
is interference from another agency that is not under his direct control, which just
complicates the resolution of the matter," he said.

The 300 soldiers requested by the state government last night would be deployed in small
teams to the worst affected areas of Sydney to staple tarpaulins onto roofs, he said.

The engineer in charge of assessing the damage, Major Mike Mowle, said the soldiers' brief
was to ensure the temporary protection lasted three to six months.

He said the job required a reasonable amount of skill.

AAP cm/shm/tsm/it

KEYWORD: HAILSTORM ARMY

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