Operation Dawes
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In Response to: Tathra Bush Fires
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Location: Tathra, NSW
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Active: Mar 22, 2018 to Apr 13, 2018
Objective
On the 18 March 2018, a bushfire began in the locality of Reedy Swamp, near Tarraganda, which spread east towards Tathra destroying homes and blocking one of only two roads out of the town. By the morning of 19 March up to 70 buildings were believed to have been lost, and more than 200 people sought shelter at the Bega evacuation centre. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) confirmed that 69 homes were destroyed and 39 were damaged.With the level of destruction seen to this community our veteran-led disaster relief teams deployed to support the recovery efforts in Tathra, by assisting residents to identify and locate items in damaged/destroyed properties, conducting expedient home repair and working on debris management.