Dear TBI members, volunteers & the Townsville community,

We trust that you have all remained as safe and dry as possible through our recent natural disaster which has had a profound impact on our entire community. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have had their lives significantly impacted by this event and we know that our entire community will unite to help those in need during what will be an extremely difficult period for Townsville.

As the dust settles on this extreme event, we have been inundated with enquiries regarding the status of our stadium and when normal business will return for Basketball in Townsville, while it is exciting to receive the level of support and interest from our Basketball community, we must act with a level of patience as we work through the impacts of this event on our venue, staff and volunteers who help our association function. At this stage we would like to clarify a number of questions which have been received:

• Our playing surfaces were not inundated by flood water, however there have been some adverse effects on the floor from the torrential rains, resulting humidity and water which has settled in the sub floor of the venue. We are working with contractors and our insurers at NQIB to correct this issues and return the courts to a normal state of play as soon as possible.
• There has been damage to carpet in hallways and foyer as well as to ceilings throughout the venue from the sheer volume of rain. Again, contractors and insurers are working tirelessly to get these issues corrected to create a safe environment for our members and community within the venue
• At this stage we still do not have power to the venue and do not have a timeline on when our supply will return. We are in constant communication with Townsville City Council and electrical contractors to restore our supply as soon as possible, but we are also mindful that residents of Townsville must take priority in this regard to return lives to normal as soon as possible.
• Our staff who are available are operating remotely with the generous support of local businesses to attempt to maintain some level of operations during this difficult period and communicate with our members.
• Our scheduled club sign on day which had been postponed will once again need to be postponed to a later date to be advised by TBI. We will advise the community through our website, social media and local radio of this postponement.
• Our venue will remain CLOSED to the public until further notice once we are able to fully assess the extent of the impact of the natural disaster and correct any health related issues which may have an impact on our patrons. Please respect this closure and do not access the stadium during this period as un-authorised use will compromise works to the venue.
• The board and staff of Townsville Basketball will meet next Monday, February 11^th to make decisions on an appropriate course of action relating to all operational matters including competitions schedules, rep program trainings and upcoming events. We ask for patience during this period and to respect the decisions made which will be in the best interests of Basketball in Townsville returning to our normal operations as soon as possible.

At this time if you do have any further questions, please direct these to your club delegates who will communicate where necessary with new General Manager, Callam Betts. Thank you for your continued support, understanding and patience during this very difficult period for our entire community. Please stay safe and make the wellbeing of your family a priority. We will make a further statement once we have clarity on the issues we are faced with in bringing Basketball back to you as soon as possible.