People Led Prevention
People Led Prevention
Protect Your Patch – Preparing local communities for natural disasters
Collaborations -
LEP_23-023_LLC002
The issue
After the 2022 floods which greatly impacted the people in our communities, it was identified that in the face of ever-increasing natural hazards, we needed to become better prepared to face these challenges. The unpredicted nature of water flows and lack of information sharing resulted in members of the community being impacted and suffering significant losses. This has identified a need for increased preparedness and natural hazard planning at the local community level. Due to how widespread the most recent flooding event was, emergency agencies were stretched thin, resulting in many communities essentially fending for themselves and banding together to help neighbours in this time of need.
The solution
The NSW People Led Prevention project offered the unique opportunity for WMLIG as a Landcare NSW group to utilise our relationship and trust within the region, bringing together community members and agency staff to share information, learn from each other, build connections and increase community preparedness in the face of increasing natural hazards. Local representatives from RFS, Red Cross, LLS and Landcare NSW attended each workshop, which were held in local community venues, and shared their locally applicable knowledge with attendees. Participants were encouraged to be actively involved in discussions and were assisted with starting their own emergency plans for their properties.
The impact
Attendees actively participated in the workshops, sharing previous experiences from natural disasters, and shared how prepared they were for future hazards. Agency staff were able to share their stories, knowledge, resources and contact details with one another, and the community. This has increased the capacity for these staff members to be of service to their communities during natural disasters. The relationship between community members and agency staff has been strengthened now they have developed rapport with each other. Community can have increased confidence in agencies during emergencies impacting the community. All attendees were provided resource packs containing useful documents, and their own Red Cross Rediplan to begin populating.
Learnings
- Participant engagement greatly increases outcomes of events and improves learnings for all involved.
- Local communities greatly appreciated the opportunity to attend events in their local halls and clubs and were grateful for the support of their venues.
- Offering emergency agencies the opportunity to engage face-to-face with community members has strengthened the relationship and given the local community increased faith in these organisations moving into the future. Opportunities and interest in future project looking at the practical components of community preparedness for natural hazards was strongly encouraged by attendees.
Key facts
- 84 people participated in events
- 7 agencies involved
- 5 Workshops run in local community halls and clubs, 1 community market event attended
- Relationship building and knowledge sharing between communities and agencies
- Increased level of preparedness for communities