With the warmer weather approaching, it’s time to Get Ready. Central Coast Council is working alongside lead emergency agencies to raise awareness and share resources that will help our community prepare for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.

Resources include:

• the first Emergency Dashboard for the region – designed to be a ‘go to’ resource for our community providing one location to access emergency information from the NSW Rural Fire Service, the NSW State Emergency Service, the Bureau of Meteorology, Ausgrid, the Roads and Maritime Services Live Traffic tool, and of course from Council. The dashboard also features an emergency news section and social media feeds from each emergency agency.
• Council’s online children’s storytime readings of The Birdie Tree books – We have been using The Birdie Tree books in our Childcare Centres with great results in soothing anguish, concern, and reassuring children around emergency situations. This resource helps people struggling to explain the importance of emergency preparation and resiliency to children.

Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Julie Vaughan said September is the month when lead emergency agencies and government organisations band together to help local communities prepare for, and build resilience to, natural disasters.

“The Central Coast is a caring and resilient community and during times of crisis we support each other – this is our strength!” Ms Vaughan said.

“We have seen our community rise through the bushfires, storms, floods, east coast lows, coastal erosion and pandemic events over the last few years and it is no accident that our community has made it through each challenge and bounced back even stronger than before.

“Preparation is the key and we are sharing information to help residents think about what they need to do and how they are going to protect their home, belongings and family. I encourage our community to tap into these resources, and ensure they have a plan and are prepared before, during and after any emergency.”

With funding received through the Commonwealth and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery funding, Council has also been working in bushfire affected communities on projects to connect community and build resilience. Some projects include The Yarn Hub and Yarn bombing, Community Days, Resilience Journal (6,000 distributed) Sculptural Installations by Pete Rush, Health and Wellbeing workshops, and development of Community Emergency Management Plans.

Council Administrator, Rik Hart said being prepared for emergencies can save lives, property and help us recover quicker from disaster events when they do occur.

“As we continue to be impacted by this latest COVID-19 outbreak, and the weather warms up and we head into bushfire and storm season we must remain vigilant. Know your risks. Plan now for what you will do. Get your home ready. Be aware. Look out for each other,” Mr Hart said.

Access resources, be prepared and know what’s happening, search ‘emergency’ at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

The Emergency Dashboard is supported by Resilience NSW’s Regional Disaster Preparedness Program, rolled out to councils across the state, including Central Coast Council.