General News
27 November, 2025
Woolies disaster depot
WOOLWORTHS is storing emergency supplies at a depot in Cairns in the event of a natural disaster.
The supermarket chain has placed six containers in a Pacific National depot in Cairns, each with 20 pallets of essential items, such as bottled water, nappies, toilet paper and long-life food products. These items will be deployed to stores in the Cairns local government area in the event that supply chains are cut by natural disaster.
Additionally Woolworths has increased stock levels at its Cairns stores by approximately 20,000-30,000 cartons to boost its disaster resilience.
Mayor Amy Eden, who has previously highlighted a pressing need to safeguard food supplies for the Cairns community during severe weather events, said she welcomed the update from Woolworths.
Earlier this year she called on Woolworths and Coles to establish supply hubs in Cairns in the event of rail and road closures during natural disasters.
“Our community know the impact of being isolated during cyclones or flooding, so I am delighted that Woolworths is taking a range of practical steps to improve supply reliability to protect our residents,” Cr Eden said.
“This is all about businesses and council working together to keep community fed and functioning in the face of weather challenges.
“With clear communication with residents ahead of any severe weather events and regular liaison between Woolworths and the Local Disaster Management Group, our goal is to ensure every household can access the essentials they need, even when conditions are tough.”
Woolworths Queensland assistant state manager Sophie Hobden said Woolies had take steps to increase stock levels regionally ahead of the wet season following a disaster preparedness campaign across Far North Queensland last month.
“We have positioned six shipping containers here in Cairns and other locations across the region, each filled with essential items to be deployed to nearby stores in the event of a natural disaster,” she said.
“We understand we’re a key business in Cairns and we’ll always work hard to get our stores open as soon as possible to provide for locals in a time of crisis.
“We thank the mayor and council for the collaboration and will continue to work closely with all levels of government on proactive measures to improve supply chain resilience across FNQ.”
