Local knowledge to help better disaster planning in third La Nina year
Flood workshops
A higher chance of flooding in the Douglas region this summer has prompted a series of workshops in the area over October and November, with the aim of tapping into local knowledge.
A declaration by the Bureau of Meteorology of a third La Nina in a row this year, meaning wetter than average conditions and a higher chance of flooding, has prompted the workshops.
Douglas Shire Council’s Disaster Management Team and the Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) are inviting all members of the community, from Bloomfield and Degarra to Wangetti, to provide their insights into how natural hazards impact them.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr, who is also LDMG Chairman, said the check ins would help create more resilient communities.
“The resilience scorecard will explore each area’s vulnerabilities to natural hazards and help pinpoint the actions needed to improve resilience,” Cr Kerr said.
“We know the severity of an extreme weather event is determined by both the scale of the event and the level of community preparedness.”
Recent experience leads to better preparedness
A good example of learning from experience about better preparedness came from the Daintree Village floods in 2019, when the town lost both electricity and phone services.
“Our community got together and discussed how we could make the area more resilient.
“Now we have back-up generators and satellite phones based in the town to lower the risks for people living in the area.”
The workshops will be a timely opportunity for residents to drop by, have a yarn and talk about experiences with natural hazards and communicate expert local knowledge:
Bloomfield and Degarra and China Camp area
Tuesday, 11 October 8am – 12pm; Bloomfield River.
Cow Bay, Kimberly, Forest Creek, Diwan and Cape Tribulation
Tuesday, 11 October 4pm – 7pm; Lync Haven, 1973 Cape Tribulation Road, Diwan
Daintree Village and surrounding valleys
Wednesday, 12 October 2pm to 5pm; Daintree Hall in Osborne Street, Daintree Village
Wonga Beach and Newell Beach
Monday, 17 October, 5pm to 8pm; Wonga Beach Rural Fire Service, 9-11 Oleander Drive, Wonga Beach.
Mossman and Cooya Beach
Tuesday, 18 October, 4pm to 7pm; Mossman Shire Hall, 8-14 Mill Street, Mossman.
Port Douglas and Craiglie
Wednesday, 19 October, 9am to 12pm; Port Douglas Community Hall, 13-29 Mowbray Street, Port Douglas.
Port Douglas and Craiglie
Wednesday, 19 October, 4pm to 7pm (for businesses owners); Port Douglas Community Hall, 13-29
Mowbray Street, Port Douglas.
Mossman
Monday, 31 October 4pm to 7pm (for businesses owners); Mossman Shire Hall, 8-14 Mill Street, Mossman.
Oak Beach and Wangetti
Tuesday, 1 November 9am to 12pm; Thala Beach Resort, 5078 Captain Cook Highway, Oak Beach
For more details, visit: https://douglas.qld.gov.au/douglas-community-disaster-resilience-strategy.