Redland City Council is leading the way in disaster management with the adoption of the first phase of an innovative and user friendly plan for dealing with potential major crises.
For the first time, Redlanders will get access to information specific to their local community on what to do in the event of a disaster.
View the Redland City Council Disaster Management Plan 2013 [PDF 7.6MB]
Chair of the Local Disaster Management Group Mayor Karen Williams said Part 1 of the three-part Redland City Local Disaster Management Plan, adopted by Council today, outlined the city’s capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disaster events.
“We have produced, for the first time, a user-friendly booklet that can be used by the community to see what council and its partners such as the police, State Emergency Service, fire, ambulance and power and telecommunications companies are doing to assist them if a potential disaster is on the horizon,’’ Cr Williams said.
“The next two parts will set out practical information on how residents can prepare for a disaster, with details specific to their areas on where to find evacuation centres and how to respond.
“This breaks the mould when it comes to disaster management by recognising that the Redlands is a community of communities, with each needing a specific easy-to-understand plan of how they should prepare and respond.
“Residents will be provided with all the vital local information they need whether they live on a bay island, on the coastline, at Mount Cotton or in a mainland suburb.
“It will be a quick and easy guide to evacuation routes and assembly areas so residents can ensure they can keep themselves and their families and neighbours safe.’’
Part 2, the plan for the Moreton Bay islands, is planned for release at the end of October. Part 3 – for mainland coastal areas and the mainland hinterland – is due by March 2014.
Council’s ‘Disaster Hub’, which can be accessed at www.redland.qld.gov.au, contains relevant information on “Prevention, Preparation, Response and Recovery’’, together with the first part of the new plan.
Printed copies of Part 1 will be available free at Council Customer Service Centres and libraries.
“This is innovative. It is different not only to anything Redland City has done in the past but to anything any other council has done,’’ Cr Williams said.
“But any plan is reliant on residents being prepared.
“People have to be able to take their own steps in preparing their homes, preparing their yards, preparing themselves for the possibility of a disaster and they will find that information on the Council’s Disaster Hub.
“No community is immune from the potential for disaster but by working together we can strengthen our resilience and ability to respond to them.’’
All Queensland councils are obliged by legislation to publish a disaster management plan and review it at least annually.
Redland City Council conducts regular exercises to fine-tune its approach to handling a potential disaster.
“Every exercise and training program we undertake builds our capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters,’’ Redlands Local Disaster Coordinator Nick Clarke said.
“This is why we rehearse regularly and ensure that we practice with our colleagues in the emergency services and other state departments and support agencies, such as the SES, Energex, Red Cross and Telstra.’’
Mr Clarke, the council’s General Manager Organisational Services, encouraged residents to think ahead and plan for what they would do if an emergency arose.
“Looking after yourselves and those close to you – family and neighbours – is really important as help may be some time and distance away, especially for those living in remote locations such as our islands,’’ he said.
“It’s also important to keep informed. The best way to do this is to tune into your local ABC radio station (ABC 612). Having a battery-powered radio at hand is a good way to do this.
“If power and connections permit, people can also get information from council’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as from the Disaster Hub on our website. This information is updated regularly during an emergency.
“It’s also important to heed warnings and take the action recommended by the authorities.’’
