DISASTERS impact all communities in Douglas Shire differently.
That is why the Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) is tapping into local knowledge through a series of workshops across the region in October and November this year.
It comes after the Bureau of Meteorology declared a third La Nina in a row, meaning wetter than average conditions this summer and a higher chance of flooding.
Douglas Shire Council’s Disaster Management Team and the LDMG are inviting all members of the community, from Bloomfield and Degarra to Wangetti, to provide their insights into how natural hazards impact them.
Information will be collected and used to develop a resilience scorecard for each community.
Moderate flooding occurred in the Daintree River in April 2022. (Photo credit – Vincent O’Flaherty)
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr, who is also the LDMG Chairman, said the check ins would help create more resilient communities.
“The resilience scorecard will explore each area’s vulnerabilities to natural hazards and help pinpoint the actions needed to improve resilience,” he said.
“We know the severity of an extreme weather event is determined by both the scale of the event and the level of community preparedness.”
“For example, following the Daintree Village floods in 2019 where we lost electricity and phone service in the town, our community got together and discussed how we could make the area more resilient.”
“Now we have back-up generators and satellite phones based in the town to lower the risks for people living in the area.”
This is a great opportunity for residents to drop by, have a yarn and talk about experiences with natural hazards and communicate expert local knowledge.
The level of interconnectedness between members of a community is a key component and indicator of the level of community resilience.
The community drop-in workshops will be held at the following dates and locations:
Bloomfield and Degarra and China Camp area
Tuesday, 11 October 8am – 12pm
Bloomfield River.
Cow Bay, Kimberly, Forest Creek, Diwan and Cape Tribulation
Tuesday, 11 October 4pm – 7pm
Lync Haven, 1973 Cape Tribulation Road, Diwan
Daintree Village and surrounding valleys
Wednesday, 12 October 2pm to 5pm
Daintree Hall in Osborne Street, Daintree Village
Wonga Beach and Newell Beach
Monday, 17 October, 5pm to 8pm
Wonga Beach Rural Fire 9-11 Oleander Drive, Wonga Beach.
Mossman and Cooya Beach
Tuesday, 18 October, 4pm to 7pm
Mossman Shire Hall, 8-14 Mill Street, Mossman.
Port Douglas and Craiglie
Wednesday, 19 October, 9am to 12pm
Port Douglas Community Hall, 13-29 Mowbray Street, Port Douglas.
Port Douglas and Craiglie
Wednesday, 19 October, 4pm to 7pm || for businesses owners
Port Douglas Community Hall, 13-29 Mowbray Street, Port Douglas.
Mossman
Monday, 31 October 4pm to 7pm || for businesses owners
Mossman Shire Hall, 8-14 Mill Street, Mossman.
Oak Beach and Wangetti
Tuesday, 1 November 9am to 12pm
Thala Beach Resort, 5078 Captain Cook Highway, Oak Beach
