Photos: Operation Flood Assist wrap up

Australian Aviation shares Bowen-Thomas’ story of being a leader of the Operation Flood Assist 2022 – as a junior officer – and provides a brief on the aircraft used during the ongoing mission.

Where it all began: The MRH-90 Taipan

On 25 February, the Defence force quickly began operations to rescue civilians caught in the Queensland floods, responding to a request by Queensland police. An Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan was the first helicopter to assist the rescue mission, and on the first day was part of saving four people from Gatton and Jimboomba.

While Defence did not disclose why certain aircraft were chosen for the mission, the Taipan was the first jet called upon to assist in the flood operation. The Taipan, which is set to retire early in favour of the acquisition of Blackhawk and Seahawk aircraft, was involved in conducting multiple evacuations, food distribution and transportation across both Queensland and NSW. The aircraft was also deployed on numerous search and rescue missions.

Junior officer turned to operation leader

Early on when the floods began, David Bowen-Thomas, who has been working for the RAAF for a few years and flies a Boeing EA-18G Growler, was called to assist in several local Queensland areas.

“Very quickly, we were getting tasked to come in, and we’re putting boots on the ground to help out in Brisbane suburbs such as Rocklea, and then we pivoted towards Ipswich and started going into Goodna and other local sites,” he said. The ADF soldiers were tasked with clearing out floodwater from buildings, delivering food and medical supplies, helping in search and rescue missions, clearing road debris and more.

The mission started with around 130 personnel and grew to just shy of 450 people in a matter of days, Bowen-Thomas explained. “It was pretty busy during the height of the time we were deployed,” he added. “I was in the headquarters to make sure that they got all their food and their rations and their personal protective equipment, PPE, all of that kind of stuff so that they could actually do the job and do it safely.”

The P-8A Poseidon

First called on 27 February, only days after the crisis began, an air force P-8A Poseidon aircraft was deployed to provide surveillance and imagery of the Mary River in the Gympie and Maryborough regions, parts of the Brisbane River, and conducted two ad-hoc surveys of catchment areas in the Sunshine Coast Airport and Caloundra Airport regions, according to Defence.

The workhorse defence aircraft, based at the RAAF base Edinburgh is a vital instrument for maritime patrol and response strategy, and for this very reason, was utilised during the floods.

An opportunity for leadership

Flight Lieutenant Bowen-Thomas described the experience as a “whole Air Force kind of effort”, opposed to other operations where one or two units would be called for duty – everyone was onboard during the Operation Flood Assist. “It was the first time that most of us had actually had a chance to help out in that capacity … we had a lot of different skills,” he said.

What was most exciting to him – despite the situation being unexciting – was that many junior ranking personnel were given the opportunity to lead, like him. “It was great to see junior leaders have a chance to get out there and lead people,” he said. While it is no one’s primary role to assist in these situations, he said every single person adapted to the task at hand, despite how “bad some of the areas were hit by the floods” in Queensland and NSW.

The AW139 Helicopter

The Australian Army’s Leonardo AW139 helicopter was first called on 28 February to join the fight against the floods, first deployed from Townsville to south-east Queensland to reinforce ADF rotary-wing effects in Queensland and northern NSW, according to Defence. Alongside the MRH-90 Taipans, the AW139 helicopter operated search and rescue operations in NSW. During the flood operation, the AW139 helicopter also conducted reconnaissance and community engagement in Byrill Creek Area in Queensland, food transport and distribution and patient transfer. The Australian army leased these helicopters in October 2021 to complement the Taipan’s capabilities.

Defence pulled through, despite backlash

While many Defence force personnel were quickly pulled from their typical jobs to assist the flood operation, many citizens of the worst-affected areas claimed it wasn’t good enough. Justine Elliot, the Labor MP for Richmond in NSW told Independent Australia in late March that it was a “humanitarian crisis” and people were left with no food, money or a place to live. She argued “from day one” she called the army to assist, but said it took over a week before the support actually came. This news spread like wildfire, and some residents were reported to have verbally abused ADF personnel, and in one case, a solider was allegedly spat on.

Despite many complaints over the lack of support, and accusations that the army filmed officers pretending to clean up for the sake of PR, Bowen-Thomas says there is more to the story. “Given the resources and the information we had at the time, I think that everyone came together and did a pretty reasonable job.” He added that the situation unfolded quickly, and it takes time to put a plan together to ensure crew don’t “over-commit too soon” before being unable to provide the most useful support.

“Some of these families have lost everything and were very grateful to have that support. So, the only thing I can tell you is literally the overwhelming response was positive,” Bowen-Thomas said. “There’s always going to be lessons and ways that you can potentially do things better next time, but generally speaking, I’d say that I’m pretty proud of the way it happened,” he said.

Navy MH-60R Seahawk

The Seahawk is the Navy’s “next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter” according to Defence and will replace the slowly phasing out Taipan jets. The Seahawk was first called on 3 March to assist the flood operation, conducting a rescue mission of a woman and her two children from their flooded home in Werrington in Sydney’s west. The aircraft also provided reconnaissance support in NSW, and search and rescue missions in the greater Sydney and South Coast region.

CH-47F Chinook helicopters

Lastly, as a key partner of Australia, Singapore quickly deployed two of its Chinook helicopters from its Oakey detachment in the Australian Army Aviation Training Centre in Queensland. First called on 7 March, the aircraft were used for transporting personnel and emergency supplies to provide relief to flood victims in both states. The helicopters were first stationed to several towns in NSW, such as Broadwater, Burwood and Coraki, and were also utilised to transport supplies donated from the Singapore government.

The significance of the ADF in a crisis

Without the Defence force, situations such as the floods would be exponentially worse, and Bowen-Thomas said the mission showed how more than defending the nation, the force’s fundamental role is to help the local community. It “was definitely something which was worthwhile, and I think everyone particularly got some personal pride out of helping,” he said. Residents “appreciated having Defence being able to step in, in that short term capacity just to help the council get back on top.”

While disaster response primarily lies in the hands of states and territories, situations such as bushfires and floods – that have become familiar foes in Australia – show the key role of mobilising defence to saves lives, properties and ultimately the economy.