
%0 Journal Article
%A Jones, Roger 
%T Managing the national response: The Canberra story
%J Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal
%D 2010/07/01
%V 60
%N 3
%P 221-225
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/ES10034
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/ES10034 
%X The paper briefly discusses the origins of the then Natural Disasters Organisation (NDO, now Emergency Management Australia) and the organisation&#x2019;s initial role and organisation on its establishment in Canberra in July 1974. When cyclone Tracy struck barely five months later, NDO&#x2019;s staffing arrangements and systems were still very much in development. Following an outline of the key issues and problems created by this unprecedented event, as seen at the time from a Canberra perspective, the paper describes the Federal Government&#x2019;s initial response to the crisis and NDO&#x2019;s early actions to develop new arrangements and systems to coordinate the national response. An overview of the response coordination operation is offered, together with an evaluation of the operation&#x2019;s effectiveness and an indication of some of the major lessons learned. The presentation concludes with some anecdotal observations. 
