Big Map

Human and Social

This relates to the emotional, social, physical and psychological health and well-being of individuals, families and communities following a disaster. The Human and Social pillar within a Community Core aims to:

• gain access to timely information from the local government
• provide assistance to reconnect families, friends and community networks
• enable community members to manage their own recovery through access to information on finding local, regional and state services, as well as practical assistance like financial support for those who are most vulnerable and don’t have the means to fund their own recovery
• act as the lead for the community and vital link between Local Government to access emotional, psychological, and mental health support at individual, family and community levels (psychosocial support).

Tasks include:

• identifying and selecting a Community Core leader
• identifying a suitable location and secondary location to act as a community core/community centre immediately post a disaster
• understanding roles and responsibilities of the Red Cross, Vinnies, Disaster Relief Australia, other Community Groups, GIVIT, state and federal recovery and funding arrangements, and local government relief and recovery arrangements
• understanding and identifying the location of critical care members of the community
• leading and interpreting the needs and requirements of the community when outside assistance arrives.

Economic

The effects of a disaster on the economic environment can be classified in terms of direct and indirect impacts. The tangible impacts can usually be given a monetary value and may include loss of tourism, employment opportunities and reduction in cash flow for businesses. Each community has a business lead and chamber of commerce established. A community member from these groups is always very well connected and fully understands the community in which they live. A Community Core with this type of leading community member is always a great asset to have.

Tasks include:

• identifying and understanding the key economic drivers of the community i.e. what is unique to the community, and if its impacted, how this will affect them over the next three or six months if lost or damaged
• understanding the state and federal recovery and funding arrangements.

Environmental

Impacts to the environment may include damage or loss of flora and fauna, poor air quality, reduced water quality, land degradation and contamination, or damage to heritage listed places. A representative from the community is one who would understand these impacts and be willing to step forward to guide the local government as required.

Tasks include:

• identifying and understanding the environmental impacts across the community
• identifying what these impacts have on farming, businesses and or private landowners
• understanding things like localised flood mitigation options and bushfire mitigation strategies.

Building

The effects of a disaster on the built environment often result in damage and disruption which inhibits the capacity of essential services and those such as housing, accommodation, education and health facilities. A representative from the community, such as a local builder or plumber, is one who would understand these impacts and be willing to step forward to guide the local government as required.

Tasks include:

• identifying what has been damaged or impacted in the community and if it is minor, moderate or major
• understanding if there are likely to be insurance issues
• determining if outside contractors will impact the community if utilised
• identifying what building capabilities exist within the community.

Roads and Transport

The effects of a disaster on transport networks such as road, rail, aviation and maritime normally result in difficulty accessing communities and disruption to critical supply chains, both within and outside the impacted area. Restoration of these networks or identification of alternatives is a priority in disaster recovery. A representative from the community is one who would understand these impacts and be willing to step forward to guide the local government as required.

Tasks include:

• identifying which local roads, bridges and or access routes have been impacted

identifying the result of these impacts e.g. no property access, damages roads or bridges etc.

Willawarrin, NSW

The purpose of the Willawarrin (Flood and Fire) Resilience Strategy was to better understand the community complexities and develop a community risk profile based on exposure from flood and fire that leads to vulnerabilities and risk. Understanding how, when and where this region is impacted by fire and flood is vital to those who live here – not just for safety, but for protecting livelihoods, property and people. Businesses operating within the region also need to know how to make risk-informed investment and operational decisions in line with future local council objectives.

Over the past three years, Willawarrin has been devastated by fire and flood. Willawarrin was chosen for this exercise because the community was passionate about building a local resilience plan yet did not have the manpower, technology or actionable information to deliver it.

Mogo, NSW

Mogo is a small heritage town in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mogo is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is located on the Princes Highway (Highway 1), south of Batemans Bay and north of Moruya. At the 2021 census, Mogo had a population of 332 consisting of 73 families across 13 private dwellings.

The MOGO Community accepts that flooding is an inevitable natural process, which in many circumstances is beneficial for fisheries agriculture, ecosystems and water storages. Resilience and mitigation activities do not eliminate the risk of flood.

DRA conducted a Big Map scenario model and disaster planning workshop to collect community feedback. This assisted DRA to overlay the community’s vital local knowledge with aerial imagery and data mapping technology, empowering the community and its leaders to proactively reduce disaster risk and identify local solutions to help improve resilience over time.

Mogo Project Resilience Report 2022

Collie, WA

Collie has been impacted historically by flood including a major event in 1963, with several localised flooding events continued to impact the town and nearby Allanson in 2012 and 2017. Floods resulted in blocked roads, threats to access to shopping precincts, risk of rail line flood, and some emergency services sites at risk (SES). In mid-June 2022, the state government announced 2030 as the end of state coal mines in Collie and of coal-fired power supply. Conversely it is supporting new industry development for green energy, plus promoting manufacturing including a new emergency driving training school – a $47.5M contract to Technifire to build up to 300 new firefighting vehicles, with 40% of body assembly work in Collie by Piavanini Welding.

At workshops end the Collie Local Emergency Management Coordinator (LEMC) and local community have a better understanding of local flood hazards, are better prepared for flood planning with additional inputs into the flood section of the Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP), and completed flood mitigation activities in conjunction with DRA as part of Project Resilience.

Collie Project Resilience Report 2022

Richmond Catchment, Northern Rivers NSW

In our experience, based on our previous flood resilience projects, a common issue to most parts of Australia is the inadequate use of flood mapping in an operational context. During flood emergencies, response agencies often default to local knowledge of past flood behaviour rather than make use of the information available from Flood Studies and or Flood Risk Management Studies. A factor which could contribute to this issue is the numerous, and sometimes conflicting, studies available for a single catchment.

Further, a collection of localised flood models has limited use for flood warning purposes. Response agencies require an overview of the complete hydrologic system, rather than having to waste time making interpretations between separate sources of information.

The DRA Richmond River Catchment Big Map exercise will do exactly that.

Richmond Catchment Report 2023

Gawler River Catchment, Gawler, SA

The Big Map activity identified that agribusiness, horticultural activities and residential land development is increasing in the Adelaide Plains.  Accordingly, so is the risk of damage and/or destruction during flood events. Although no homes were damaged when the Gawler River broke its banks in November 2005, around $40 million worth of crops were lost and significant damage to public infrastructure.

Most recently, the Gawler River catchment experienced significant rainfall between late September and early October 2016. Falls ranged typically between 100mm to 140mm in the upper North and South Para River catchments, resulting in a major flood event in the lower reaches of the Gawler River and an estimated Average Rain Index of 20 years.

Gawler Catchment Report 2023

Bega, NSW

Snowy Mountains, NSW

Forbes, NSW

Prior to both exercises, 10 forecast locations (Cowra, Canowindra, Nanami, Eugowra, Forbes Iron Bridge, Cottons Weir, Jemalong Weir, Condobolin, Eubalong, and Hillston Weir) and 25 data locations were identified and placed onto the ‘Big Map’.  The ‘Big Map’ was then used as a focal point for discussion. Attendees were invited to move to the locations of their interests: local government representatives to their LGA, landowners to their property, infrastructure representatives to their applicable structures etc. This enabled attendees to better understand the responsibilities of other people at the event, who they might be representing and what their interests might be. Flood and fire were the two natural hazards discussed during this big map exercise.

Forbes Project Resilience Report 2023

The Macleay Catchment, NSW

Bridge heights on the Bureau of Metrology (BOM) hydrograph. A deck height on the associated hydrographs in all three locations (Bellbrook, Toorooka, and Sherwood) will provide significant situational awareness to all communities living upstream of Kempsey.  The MINOR flood Classification in Bellbrook is currently set at 6.5 metres however this is 4 metres over the bridge (Bellbrook) when flooding. This flood classification has not been set locally; the data is provided for flood warning purposes downstream at Kempsey.

The Macleay Catchment Report 2023

Central Coast LGA, NSW

Attendees included Local Government representatives, operational emergency management staff, key partners, and other stakeholders including representatives from community groups.

Central Coast Project Resilience Report 2023