Arise Framework
Disaster Relief Australia’s approach to community-led preparedness
Disasters are increasing in frequency and impact across Australia. Arise is our community-led framework that helps Australians understand risk, prepare for challenges, and recover stronger. Built on six pillars, Arise turns awareness into action.
The six Arise pillars
Aware
Help communities understand disaster risks using data, technology, Indigenous knowledge, and lived experience.
Prepare
Support communities to create and adapt preparedness plans informed by local risks, culture, and needs.
Connect
Build strong partnerships between communities, organisations, stakeholders, and partners to strengthen resilience.
Empower
Deliver training, education, and leadership development to build local capability and shared responsibility.
Strengthen
Equip communities to lead risk reduction efforts with data, resources, service, and sustainable support.
Honour
Integrate indigenous knowledge into disaster planning, building indigenous leadership in resilience and recovery.
Communities Arise with the Big Map
DRA’s Big Map exercise brings together community members, leaders, policymakers and emergency services agencies to walk a big aerial map of their region. It raises awareness of risk profiles, helps develop community resilience and disaster management strategies, and ways to proactively build capability to prepare for the unexpected.
Big Map offers an opportunity to simulate and share stories about how fires, floods and other disasters can and have impacted local people, infrastructure, and the environment.
For a community running a Big Map exercise before a disaster, it offers a chance to build resilience. For a community impacted by a disaster, it can be a cathartic moment that helps aid important conversations about building back better.
Local community support
DRA operates ten Disaster Relief and Recovery Teams (DRRTs) around Australia with the capability to conduct disaster relief and community preparedness operations. Each DRRT has the ability to support a community and works through a dedicated program to help build its preparedness and resilience to disasters.