Wellington Shire Council's primary role during an emergency is to coordinate community relief and recovery and enable community participation in emergency preparedness. Including mitigation, response and recovery activities.
Depending on the severity of the emergency and the response required, Wellington Shire Council may be directed to open an Emergency Relief Centre (ERC) due to residents unable to return to their homes for a period of time.
The function of an Emergency Relief Centre is to provide immediate support to people affected by the emergency, and may include food, shelter, financial hardship and personal care/psychosocial support. Emergency Relief Centres are opened in safe locations after all details of the specific emergency situation are known.
Council cannot assist directly with services including loss of power, water connection, phone or connectivity. Please see the handy list of emergency contacts below to know who to contact in an emergency weather event.
Council may coordinate the supply of drinking water to a community in an emergency if required.
Council also performs other roles in an emergency such as impact assessments, road/tree clearing, traffic management support, animal welfare services, and assist in distributing warnings and information to the public and media.
Council can assist with emergency relief to meet the essential needs of individuals, families and communities during and in the immediate aftermath of an emergency.
Call Wellington Shire Council on 1300 366 244.
Always dial 000 in an emergency.
Contact Vic Emergency on 1800 226 226.
Listen to your local emergency broadcaster. When you hear the emergency signal, pay special attention to the emergency messages. Always try to use more than one source for warnings and updates.
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) - 1300 659 217
Victoria State Emergency Service (VicSES) - 13 25 00
VicRoads - 13 11 70
AusNet Services (power/outages) - 13 17 99. Visit the AusNet outage tracker here.
NBN Co (internet and connectivity) - 1800 687 626
Australian Gas Networks (gas emergencies) - 1800 427 532
Telephone (your phone provider)
Water supply (your water provider)
Information on current school emergency closures and relocations is available from the Victorian Government Education and Training website.
Lifeline crisis support - 13 11 14 (available 24 hours)
Wildlife Rescue Australia - 1300 596 457
Wellington Shire Council has a legislated role in emergency management.
Council appoints a Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC), that prepares a Municipal Emergency Management Plan which contains information about identified potential emergency risks and hazards within the municipality.
The plan also contains general information about the prevention of, preparedness for, response to and recovery from the impacts of the identified risks and hazards.
The Municipal Emergency Management Plan is a statutory requirement of Council which identifies the main risks inherent within the Wellington Shire. Major identified risks such as fire, heatwave and pandemic influenza have their own specific sub-plans.
This living document is guided by the Wellington Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee, and addresses the prevention of, preparedness for, response to and recovery from emergencies within the Wellington Shire Council. It is the result of the cooperative efforts of the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee and community input.