A fictional tropical cyclone will spur Cairns’ disaster response agencies into action today.

“TC Linda” will approach the Cairns coastline as Cairns Regional Council’s Disaster Coordination Centre becomes the hub for an annual training exercise, designed to prepare relevant agencies for a natural disaster.

Acting Chair of the Cairns region’s Local Disaster Management Group, Cr Steve Brain, said the exercise would assist in defining roles and responsibilities, should a real disaster threaten the area.

“We will go through the steps of activating the Disaster Coordination Centre and forming a multi-agency disaster response unit,” Cr Brain said.

“Participants will assume the roles they would take in a real disaster situation and carry out duties in accordance with a disaster scenario.

During the exercise, TC Linda will intensify from a category one system to a category three severe tropical cyclone.

A storm surge of 1m will be predicted, requiring evacuation of residents in coastal areas.

“Storm surge is the greatest threat to the region in a cyclone event and evacuations are ordered only when a storm surge is likely,” Cr Brain said.

“The exercise will include management of evacuation procedures and variables such as managing tourists, an illness outbreak and disruptions to traffic and road networks.

“These factors are the bread and butter of disaster response and representative of the challenges those working in the unit are likely to encounter in a real disaster situation.”