Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has recently secured funding to provide community development opportunities to communities affected by the 2023/24 southern Queensland bushfires.
TRC has allocated a Community Resilience and Recovery Officer (CRRO) to manage the delivery of a recovery and resilience program until the end of March 2027, as part of the assistance provided through the jointly funded Australian Government and the Queensland Government Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Chair of the Toowoomba Region Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) and Toowoomba Region Mayor Councillor Geoff McDonald said the recovery and resilience program is unlike previous disaster recovery efforts, which helped communities shortly after the bushfire events with their immediate safety recovery.
"With a funding grant of $468,000, this program will focus on the long-term emotional recovery of people living in disaster affected towns across the Region. This is a vital step forward for those still suffering from the emotional toll of the regional bushfires," Mayor McDonald said.
"Our CRRO will work closely with community members to ensure they receive support which is tailored to them," Mayor McDonald said.
"This recovery and resilience program will also focus on preparing regional communities for the upcoming bushfire season. I encourage community members to participate in the CRRO's upcoming resilience activities which will give community members practical ideas of how they can prepare and respond to future disaster events."
Earlier this year in March, Council finished a previous recovery and resilience program which assisted community members in their long-term recovery after experiencing the 2021/22 flood and heavy rain event.
The program delivered positive outcomes for regional communities including Crows Nest, Cecil Plains, Cooyar, Oakey, Clifton, Pittsworth and Yarraman, benefiting over 13,000 community members.
Over the program's two-year period, TRC's CRRO completed over 4,500 person-centred emergency preparedness plans and had over 1,150 community conversations, attending 198 events including regional shows, mental health and disaster workshops and various community events.
"The flood recovery program has had an astonishing, widespread impact on our regional community members," Mayor McDonald said.
TRC's CRRO also liaised with over 50 community agencies and 197 community groups to deliver resilience and recovery activities across the Region.
"We have already seen the real, tangible positive changes in our regional communities because of previous recovery and resilience programs. I am excited to see the benefits from this program," Mayor McDonald said.
The Every time You… campaign aims to raise awareness of the myriad of ways residents interact with TRC services on a daily basis, sometimes without even knowing it.
