Disaster aid council agreement

A hand-shake promise to help out neighbouring local governments in times of disaster, such as flood or cyclone, is set to be formalised.

The Town of Port Hedland council will decide whether to sign a formal memorandum of understanding with the shires of Ashburton and East Pilbara and the City of Karratha to provide “mutual aid during emergencies and post-incident recovery”. Ashburton and Karratha have agreed to sign the MOU so far, with East Pilbara expected to later this month. In recommending to councillors they agree to the chief executive signing the MOU, officers said the proposed agreement did not impose any legal obligations on the Town.

They added the MOU would help foster closer “relationships between local governments of the Pilbara”.