Even though the coronavirus pandemic has dominated community life over recent months, Blue Haven residents are still recovering from the New Year’s bushfire which swept through the area.
Central Coast Council has received $1.27M from the Federal National Bushfire Recovery Agency and $100,000 from the State Government’s Bushfire Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Fund to help re-build, with a program of works to be decided upon following consultation with emergency services and residents impacted across the Central Coast region.
A Council spokesperson said the works would include bridge upgrades in affected areas, replacement of fire damaged signage, vegetation regeneration to support impacted fauna habitat, and weed management in areas regenerating following the fires.
Water supply tanks will be installed at strategic sites for remote supply of water to fire fighting vehicles, fire station bushfire protection will be upgraded, and bushfire protection retro-fitting of five community halls will also take place.
Front Yard Fridays will be introduced in the bushfire affected suburbs of Blue Haven, Mangrove Mountain and Spencer, where residents will be encouraged to meet, gather, share a meal and listen to an expert speak about community resilience.
A working group will finalise Council’s Disaster Resilience Strategy and complementary programs of community activities such as mental health resilience initiatives, development of community disaster resilience networks, emergency preparedness workshops, Cultural Cool Burn Forums and assistance for the Rural Fire Service community meetings.
A Council spokesperson said feedback was obtained from a variety of sources including the Joint Local Recovery Committee, which included representatives from Police, RFS, National Parks and Office of Emergency Management, as well as community members impacted by the fires and Council staff directly involved in Council’s response and recovery activities.
Councillor, Jillian Hogan, said building resilience was one aspect of rebuilding communities collectively and it was about building relationships, letting people know they are cared for and that it is okay to ask for help.
“Most importantly, in order to build resilience, we need to be supporting people’s health and well-being to better equip people with the ability to cope during any challenging situation,” she said.
“Even so, it is the tangible support that people need immediately, during, and after a crisis.
“Material aid such as food, toiletries, air purifiers, industrial heaters, and human resources for clean-ups, repairs and housing relocation are examples of tangible supports.
“What I witnessed with the fires and the floods was a lot of blame and anger; people want answers, they want their lives to go back to normal as quickly as possible, and providing immediate tangible relief is the first step to achieving long-term resilience” Cr Hogan said.
Parliamentary Secretary for Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said the recently announced $100,000 in State funding illustrated that bushfire recovery remained a priority for the government.
Apart from funding the Front Yard Fridays project, a Buy Local marketing campaign will also be introduced to encourage people to buy from suppliers impacted by the bushfires and ongoing drought conditions.
Central Coast Mayor, Lisa Matthews, said an important part of our resilience building was to create a Makers, Creators & Innovators microsite.
“This site will highlight and promote local business and suppliers impacted by the bushfires and the economic downturn, to provide them with an additional marketing vehicle and support system,” she said.
“This microsite will be designed to encourage visitors and residents to spend money with our makers, creators and innovators in recovery.”
The Mayor welcomed the financial boost to the community which faced weeks of smoke, economic loss and uncertainty.
“This funding is a good example of how all three levels of government can work together to help communities recover from a crisis,” she said.
Source:
Media release, May 7
Parliamentary Secretary Central Coast, Adam Crouch.
Media statement, May 8
Budgewoi Ward Councillor, Jillian Hogan
Media statement, May 14
Central Coast Council