Disaster recovery review in a changing climate
Published on 28 August 2023
Bellingen Shire Council and City of Coffs Harbour joined together on Thursday 17 August and conducted a Recovery Exercise to plan for disaster.
Attended by local emergency services, community organisations, businesses, and the two councils, the exercise ran through a significant fire disaster scenario after which participants discussed what would be needed in recovery. They examined the 4 areas of concern – our built, environmental, economic, and social environments.
Led by Wendy Graham of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the NSW Reconstruction Authority, this exercise is one part in an overall project to develop a Recovery Plan for the Bellingen Shire and City of Coffs Harbour Council areas that reflects the needs of our community and how we want to recover from a major disaster event.
The day was formally opened by Uncle Richard Widders, with Bellingen Shire Mayor, Cr Steve Allan addressing attendees, highlighting the importance of planning for recovery in light of the consecutive disasters we have experienced across our region and the likelihood of the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters in future.
“Having a plan for recovery before disaster means when government and agencies arrive to help, we can tell them what we need, and avoid decisions being made for us that may not be in the long-term interests of our community” Mayor, Cr Steve Allan explained.
Participants were encouraged to consider the number of disaster events already experienced in the past 4 years, the chronic stresses of housing and cost of living, along with community fatigue when making their plan, emphasising the value of community cohesion and how a connected community recovers faster.
“We’ve learnt from previous disasters that planning how to recover is as important as planning how to respond. Recovering from a large disaster can take years and, if done well, can lead to a better, healthier community. Bellingen and Coffs Harbour are working together to make a robust plan for if we ever have to recovery from a large-scale disaster. We are certainly at the leading edge in this sense.” Says Sonny Neale, Bellingen Shire Council’s Recovery Officer who organised the event.
The local recovery plan review is timely, with both Federal and State government also reviewing their plans and funding models. The Federal funding guidelines for disaster recovery have not been updated since 2018, and review is desperately needed in order to include lessons learnt from the 2019-2020 bushfires, covid-19, and the floods of 2021 and 2022 and to adapt to a changing climate.
Previous community workshops are also informing the plan which will be presented to the Coffs Harbour and Bellingen Shire Local Emergency Management Committee for adoption.
Bellingen Shire Council Is continuing to roll out projects to improve our community’s disaster preparedness and resilience with State and Federal government disaster support after the bushfires and floods.
Do you have a plan? Fire season starts September 1st. Go to the RFS website to find out how to develop your plan: www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare.