Shoalhaven City to receive resilience funding boost
Published on 27 May 2021
Shoalhaven City Council is set to receive $2 million from NSW and Commonwealth funding to better prepare the region for future natural disasters.
Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley joined Minister for Local Government and Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock at the Shoalhaven Emergency Operations Centre in Nowra for the funding announcement.
The event was also attended by Councillors John Wells, Patricia White and Kaye Gartner along with representatives from NSW Police, RFS and Fire and Rescue.
Mrs Hancock said the funding will be used to provide new resources for the Shoalhaven community including handy checklists and informative workshops, aimed at improving resilience in emergency situations and major incidents.
“The Recovery into Resilience Project by Shoalhaven City Council is designed to enhance the community’s resilience in emergency situations and capacity to respond to major incidents like floods and fires,” Mrs Hancock said.
“This is an exciting project which will strengthen community resilience and reduce the impact of future natural disasters in Shoalhaven.
“We’re going to see the Shoalhaven community working towards improving readiness to natural disasters in a practical way, including the development and distribution of information such as checklists and booklets.
“In the long term, Council will strengthen its partnership with Griffith University and run workshops focused on community-led resilience.
“A crucial part of the project is to deliver official, real-time local information and connectivity to the Emergency Operations Centre in Nowra which will be implemented across 23 community buildings in Shoalhaven.
“I look forward to seeing this project progress in the coming months and would encourage all members of the Shoalhaven community to get involved.”
Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley said the community has endured a lot of challenges over the last year with several floods and fires and was very excited about the Recovery into Resilience Project.
“We are delighted to receive funding support from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and acknowledge the assistance of both the NSW and Australian governments to make it possible,” Clr Findley said.
“We want to do all that we can to help ensure our residents and the local community are safe and informed, now and into the future.
“Improving the short-term readiness will allow residents and visitors to feel prepared in emergency situations while long term resilience planning will ensure our communities can work together and bounce back faster.
“What we know from past experiences is that having timely access to up-to-date information in an emergency is critical to saving lives.
“I am really proud that Shoalhaven City Council is taking a lead to help this happen as effectively as possible.”
The Recovery into Resilience Project will be rolled out over the coming fifteen months.
Image: from left to right
Front row: Recovery into Resilience Project Coordinator Vince Di Pietro, Mayor Amanda Findley, Minister for Local Government and Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock
Back row: CEO Stephen Dunshea, City Lifestyles Director Jane Lewis, NSW Police Regional Trish Malone, SES Richard Findsen, Fire and Rescue Rick Jones, Local Emergency Management Officer Kim White, RFS Angus Barnes, NSW Police Local Emergency Operations Controller Dave Cockram, Councillor Patricia White, Councillor Kaye Gartner, Councillor John Wells