An ABC Friends committee member reflects on a first hand experience of the power of ABC Radio in an emergency.

As Cyclone Fina approached Darwin on Saturday 22 November I thought of the friends I met there in 1982, when I left England for Darwin, just a few years after Cyclone Tracey had destroyed the city.

Many still live there today and when I started making contact their responses were all similar. They were all bunkering down at home having made everything as secure as possible and just waiting it out.

I went to bed still thinking of them and decided to tune into ABC Radio Darwin to check out what was happening.

As I listened, I was struck by what an important service was being provided. Hourly updates were coming in from the Bureau of Meteorology along with a flow of information from listeners reporting what was happening locally.

Lara, the ABC presenter, was bright and engaging, encouraging listeners to phone or text in to share their stories. One listener texted in to thank Lara and her team for making her feel part of a community through those long hours of waiting for the cyclone to pass.

I decided to share this story as an example of how important a national public broadcaster is in times of emergency. I contacted Radio Darwin and eventually spoke to Lara about that night.

She told me she and her colleagues had decided that a rolling 24-hour emergency radio coverage should begin on Friday night. They each worked five-hour shifts and slept at the studios in a building designed to withstand a category five cyclone.

The broadcast went through Radio National on AM as well as through the Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasters (TEABBA) that covers 29 remote indigenous communities to extend coverage as far as possible.

Apart from providing vital information about the emergency they decided to focus on keeping people company, taking their mind off things and helping everyone stay calm. As Lara reminded me, most people had no power and no internet, and ABC Radio Darwin was the only source of information and entertainment.

From what I heard when I tuned in, I think they succeeded.

As Victoria enters the season when communities are likely to experience bushfires and flood emergencies, it is important for governments to remember and support its national broadcaster, the ABC in the vital work it does for communities experiencing a weather disaster. Just one more example of the importance of a strong, well-funded ABC.