Welcome to Hunter JO’s Disaster Resilience program
Resilience has been identified as one of the four key regional themes in the Hunter JO Strategic Plan 2032.
The Hunter is predicted to experience increased extreme weather and natural disasters, with the effects of this already impacting the region. Many of the region’s communities are struggling to recover from the continual and combined impacts of more frequent and severe natural disasters.
The Hunter JO’s resilience program aims to respond to the increasing risks and effects of climate change and enable Councils to increase resilience and embed place-based solutions and responses through the region.
Disaster Resilience projects
Hunter JO was funded under the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF) and the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF) to deliver several projects to build resilience in the Hunter region. The BCRRF and DRRF are jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments. Although funding for these projects has been provided by both the Australian and NSW Governments, the material contained herein does not necessarily represent the views of either Government.
Case Studies
Resilience IP&R Support Package
The Resilience Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) Support Package aims to supports Councils’ and their communities’ resilience journey by providing user friendly, practical tools and templates to embed resilience as business as usual through the IP&R process and the development of their Community Strategic Plan (CSP), Delivery Program and Operational Plan.
This Support Package was prepared by Hunter Joint Organisation for the 11 councils in the Hunter and Central Coast region. During the preparation, consultation was held with representatives from councils’ governance staff, resilience staff, executive leaders, Resilient Sydney, Office of Local Government and NSW Reconstruction Authority.
To support the Resilience IP&R Support Package, we have also provided the following:
- Summary Factsheet – Resilience IP&R Summary
- Factsheet – Resilience IP&R Package Information for Users
- Presentation template – Councils’ Resilience Commitments
Resilience Needs and Opportunities Analysis
The Resilience Needs and Opportunities Analysis was completed over 60 LGAs and across seven JO/ROC regions. The objectives were to identify available data and information, synthesise the data collected to identify resilience gaps and needs for each LGA, and identify resilience opportunities at a regional level for the Hunter region and statewide.
We’ve put together a Resilience Needs and Opportunities Analysis Summary Report to make it easier to interpret the project outputs. The Summary Report outlines;
- Project scope and purpose
- Councils’ role in building resilience
- Needs and Opportunities Analysis components, strengths and limitations
- Linkages with IP&R including how to include actions from the Needs Analysis in the IP&R
- Regional-scale opportunities
- Next steps and implementation
The findings of this work will inform councils and JOs of their priority areas to build risk reduction and can be incorporated into the future development of Disaster Adaptation Plans.
To get a copy of your LGA’s Needs Analysis Report, please contact resilience@hunterjo.nsw.gov.au
Resilience Resource Sharing Review
To effectively respond to and recover from natural disasters, councils need access to a range of resources, including personnel, plant and equipment. Hunter and Central Coast councils identified an opportunity to better support each other during and after disasters by more effectively sharing resources. A formalised resource sharing arrangement can increase efficiency for information sharing of personnel, plant and skills to supports LGAs most in need.
The Hunter and Central Coast Resilience Resource Sharing Review sought to further test the idea of regional resource sharing and the logistics required to set up governance arrangements. The Regional Resilience Resource Sharing Review factsheet provides an overview of the process and next steps.
Simtables for Disaster Engagement
The Simtables for Disaster Engagement project provides the Hunter and Central Coast region with two state-of-the-art simulation tools to help communities understand and prepare for natural disasters. Sophisticated “digital sand tables”, Simtables display spatial data (maps) with a focus on natural hazards, especially bushfires. They are being used in workshops across the Hunter and Central Coast to improve community awareness of these hazards and how best to respond.
To find out more, visit the Simtables page.
Disaster Waste & Resource Recovery
When disasters strike, a significant and sudden increase in the volume of waste occurs. This places communities at risk of health impacts, overwhelms local infrastructure, has the potential to pollute local environments as well as placing additional financial burden on community services and Councils. To better prepare Hunter Councils to respond to disasters, the Hunter JO completed the Disaster Waste and Resource Recovery Preparedness Project, with objectives of enabling the region to better understand and prepare for waste generated by disasters, and enabling greater diversion and recovery of materials during a disaster, extending the region’s landfill capacity.
To find out more, visit the Disaster Waste & Resource Recovery page.
Disaster Resilience Resource Library
Head to our Disaster Resilience Resource Library for previously completed work and community resources.
Want to Know More?
If you are interested in joining our Hunter JO Resilience Network, have any questions on our disaster resilience work or wanted to discuss future opportunities, reach out to resilience@hunterjo.nsw.gov.au
The Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund and Disaster Risk Reduction Fund are jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
Although funding for these projects has been provided by both the Australian and NSW Governments, the material
contained herein does not necessarily represent the views of either Government.
