Key stakeholders, emergency services and local government representatives on the Central Coast worked with disaster resilience experts last week to prepare and mitigate the impact of future environmental disasters in the area.
The event was held at Central Coast Council’s Wyong administration building, with experts helping attendees plan for various scenarios and discuss topics relating to the threats, challenges and risks of environmental disasters.
The Central Coast local government area was profiled on a giant floor map prepared by Disaster Relive Australia (DRA) specialists in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
As communities across Australia battle floods and natural disaster, the Big Map event aimed to help the Central Coast get on the front foot with natural hazard preparedness.
The workshop was delivered by Disaster Relief Australia in collaboration with Central Coast Council and the Minderoo Foundation as a part of the Investing in and Enabling Resilient Communities Project, which is funded under the joint Australian-NSW Government National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction.
DRA Disaster Intelligence Services Resilience Manager Shari Bent said as the climate was changing, the risk was increasing every day for floods and fires that damage homes, businesses and infrastructure, and affect food production.
“Effective flood and fire management and mitigation help a community build resilience and that is why initiatives like the Big Map are essential for Australia’s changing landscape,” Bent said.
“If governments, individuals, businesses and industries increase their awareness and preparedness for a natural hazard event, we hopefully can reduce property damage, economic loss and disruption to assets and services.”
For more information, visit Disaster Relief Australia’s website (www.disasterreliefaus.org/pr)
Source:
Disaster Relief Australia