By Alesha Capone
Four community centres located in Wyndham could be transformed into emergency relief centres, if they are needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The council’s Emergency Management Plan states that the community centres could be used as emergency relief centres for purposes including shelter; food and water; provision of non-food items such as bedding or clothing; psychosocial support; and health services.
The Penrose Promenade Community Centre in Tarneit and the Wyndham Vale Learning Centre both have an “anticipated capacity” of being able to cater for 160 people, and house 55 sleeping residents.
The Point Cook Community Learning Centre has an anticipated capacity to cater for 160 people, and the Featherbrook Community Centre could cater to 150 people.
“Cater” refers to the provision of food and water.
An emergency relief centre can be activated at an incident controller’s request, or by the council based on local needs or demands for assistance.
Wyndham mayor Josh Gilligan said that for an emergency the size and scale of COVID-19, Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner oversees the co-ordination of the overall response, relief and recovery.
“Council takes direction from state government agencies about what local resources are required to respond to the emergency,” Cr Gilligan said.
“Under the Emergency Management Act, council’s role is to co-ordinate the local response and begin planning relief and recovery activities.”
Cr Gilligan said that while the council’s Emergency Management Plan identified facilities to be used in the event of an emergency, during the coronavirus pandemic Victoria’s State Response Team “will determine what facilities are required and for what purpose”.
Cr Gilligan said that during the past two weeks, the council has “worked quickly to protect our community by cancelling council-run events and closed facilities to comply with social distancing measures, while ensuring critical services remain operational”.
“We have taken some services and community activities online, through our council website and our new website Wyndham Together,” he said.
