Resilience NSW has extended access to Disaster Dashboards until December 31, 2022 for councils and communities in Mid Coast as part of its Regional Disaster Preparedness Pilot project.
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The disaster dashboards, developed by Resilience NSW in partnership with local councils, provide members of the community with real-time access to information relating to emerging events, disaster preparedness and recovery information.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said due to ongoing disaster events some councils had not yet fully implemented the Disaster Dashboard and the additional 12 months would give them time to implement and evaluate the product.
"These past two years, we've seen compounding disasters - drought and bushfires, storms and floods, COVID-19 and mouse plague - that have tested the resilience of communities across NSW, highlighting the importance of disaster awareness and preparedness," he said.
"In emergencies, people look to their council for localised information, advice and support."
Commissioner of Reslience NSW, Shame Fitzsimmons said Bellingen Shire Council, a participant of the pilot project, witnessed just this during recent floods.
"It has a community of about 13,000, but its Disaster Dashboard received more than 16,000 visits following its launch during the December 2020 event and more than 23,000 during the latest flooding in March," he said.
"By extending the Disaster Dashboard pilot by 12 months, councils will have to opportunity to fully implement and evaluate the product. It also gives eligible councils who have not yet subscribed the opportunity to sign up for free and launch their Disaster Dashboard ahead of the summer season when there's more chance of seasonal hazards, like heatwave.
"For people living in or travelling to the Hunter, Mid Coast, Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley and Canberra region/s for work or leisure, I encourage you to visit the respective council's website and access these Disaster Dashboards.
"Our emergency services do a great job at keeping us safe but being aware of, and prepared for, disaster is everyone's responsibility, whether you're at home, at work or on holiday."
Resilience NSW is the lead coordination agency in the state for whole-of-government disaster and emergency management, from prevention through to recovery.
To view MidCoast Council's Disaster Dashboard go to midcoast.disasterdashboards.com/dashboard/overview.
