- Community Disaster Resilience Strategy to help communities improve their preparedness and build resilience before, during and after a disaster
- The strategy is to be incorporated into short, medium, and long-term planning
- Coincides with round five of National Disaster Risk Reduction grant program
The Cook Government has released Western Australia's Community Disaster Resilience Strategy which focuses on working with communities throughout the State to boost their resilience to the effects of a natural disaster.
WA is already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, including flooding, more frequent and severe bushfires, droughts, heatwaves and rising sea levels.
The strategy has been compiled by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in conjunction with the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC). The guiding principles have evolved from key learnings and responses from both local and national communities along with international research.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson welcomed the strategy, saying the Government works closely with the SEMC to support communities and individuals to prepare for and respond to the impact and recovery from a disaster.
The key principles of the strategy include:
- Broaden Emergency Management by increasing engagement with peak bodies and industry groups, creating more pathways to volunteer and keeping communities informed about risk;
- Work Locally to increase Preparedness with community planning for recovery and equipping more people with the skills and understanding to build resilience;
- Collaborate to Reduce Vulnerability through creating grassroots community processes for communication and building district support programs to help smaller communities; and
- Heal People and Communities with support services to help people work through the recovery processes.
The release of the Community Disaster Resilience Strategy coincides with round five of the National Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) competitive grant program.
An allocation of $1.5 million is available in this round. The NDRR is delivered under a National Partnership Agreement between the WA Government and the Commonwealth Government.
Eligible organisations are encouraged to apply for an NDRR grant and showcase how the Community Disaster Resilience Strategy can be used to provide resilience building efforts that align with their strategic plans.
More information on the strategy is available on the SEMC website through this link:Community Disaster Resilience Strategy
Applications for round five of the NDRR close on 16 January 2024. For more information, visit https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/state-emergency-management-committee/apply-national-disaster-risk-reduction-grant
As stated by Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Community safety is a priority for the Cook Government and we've launched WA's Community Disaster Resilience Strategy to support a collaborative and community-led approach to disaster resilience.
"With natural disasters becoming more frequent and more severe because of our changing climate, it is critical that we help our communities to become more resilient.
"The strategy has evolved from the key learnings and responses from local communities and communities in the eastern states as well as international research.
"I encourage eligible organisations to submit an application for round five of the NDRR to share in grant funding for projects that make Western Australian communities safer."
