Prompted by the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, Whittlesea’s community recovery committee has released a community emergency plan.
State emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley was at last Wednesday’s launch to discuss the document, which comes in booklet form and aims to help people prepare, respond and recover from natural disasters.
Preparations for the emergency planning guide began about three years ago when the community recovery committee was still offering counselling services, building community gardens and memorials and rebuilding fire-ravaged houses and sheds.
Project facilitator Michelle Duscombe said when the 40-person working group embarked on the project, they decided they wanted the booklet to be preparatory in nature and to adhere to the motto “a better prepared community is a more resilient community”.
“The whole idea is to make people better prepared and enable them to be able to effectively respond,” Ms Duscombe said.
The booklet divides planning into three sections; before, during and after a natural disaster. And while the booklet is skewed to bushfires, because Whittlesea is on a flood plain it also covers what to do in floods and storms.
During the Black Saturday bushfires, Whittlesea township became a focal point for fire co-ordination, and a gathering point for displaced people and domestic animals. It later served as a hub for recovery activities, continuing for several years after the fire.
Ms Duscombe, a Kinglake resident whose home was saved because of her husband and son’s heroic efforts battling the blaze with a hose, buckets and mops, said the emergency plan sought to build on local knowledge.
“It’s great to see the community have a vision of what they wanted and to have delivered something they can be proud of,” Ms Duscombe said.
The first run of 3500 booklets was delivered to Whittlesea Community House, the library, Whittlesea CFA, council offices, doctors’ surgeries and local schools last week.
Details: www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au
