A CSIRO report highlighting critical failings during last year’s devastating flooding must be swiftly put into action, NSW Farmers says.
This week the state and federal governments jointly announced the first tranche of projects to improve the disaster resilience of the Northern Rivers, which was devastated by serious flood events a year ago.
NSW Farmers Lismore Branch chair Warren Elvery said reports were only any good if they were acted upon, calling for all recommendations to be acted upon quickly.
“We cannot afford to let this region – or any region – experience a repeat of the sort of year we’ve had,” Mr Elvery said.
“There are people still out of permanent homes, there’s still a lot of damage to repair, and it will be a long road to true recovery.
“While we don’t know what tomorrow will hold, we do know that we must be better prepared for any future disasters.”
The CSIRO report highlighted a number of critical failings in warning systems and technology that led to people being caught by surprise by the rapidly-rising floodwaters. Mr Elvery said the response to the report from both state and federal governments was a good start, but unlike floodwater resilience took longer to rise.
“The report highlights a number of areas for significant improvements, particularly with technology,” Mr Elvery said.
“It appears that technology that can save lives was not being maintained or upgraded, and that’s just not good enough – first responders need effective coordination and we need emergency response agencies to be able to communicate effectively.
“To prepare for, mitigate and rebuild from natural disaster, communities need all levels of government to work closely together and focus on the provision and maintenance of this essential equipment.”
