Russell Broadbent here, your Independent Member for Monash.
Earlier this week, I visited the beautiful community at Mirboo North in South Gippsland.
And what I saw there was indescribable. Utterly horrific.
In all my years, I’ve never seen storm destruction like it – the region has been hit hard, and everyone has been impacted.
Thousands of us were left without power or phone reception for days on end – in the case of Mirboo North, residents were even told to conserve water. Some are still waiting for power!
Situations like this often occur with little or no warning.
So, this is your reminder – please be prepared for emergencies.
Stock up on canned and other long-life foods, keep a wad of cash on hand, make sure you have a good supply of any essential medicines, and have torches and spare batteries on standby.
Remember – you can never be too prepared.
But I would like to say this – the resilience of the Monash community, is shining through with people pulling together with compassion and generosity.
Bearing witness to the efforts of countless volunteers, emergency services and residents in getting this community back up and running is humbling and a credit to the people of this region.
That’s just as I see it.
