Stay ahead of the storm

WITH climate change leading to more frequent and intense severe weather events, local resilience organisations are encouraging people to get involved to help prepare for future natural disasters.

Non-profit organisation Plan C, which was founded by Dr Jean Renouf, offers a variety of courses, ranging from a two-hour introduction to community resilience course to a free five-day course to become a community carer and responder.

The courses cover hands-on practical skills, such as disaster risk management, emergency planning, response and recovery, and securing essentials such as food, water and energy.

The courses aim to help prepare households and communities for an array of risks, including bushfires, floods, heatwaves, droughts and storms.

Volunteers can also join the Red Cross’s emergency services team to help in a variety of ways, including presenting preparedness presentations to local community groups and helping people to complete a RediPlan.

They can also complete Red Cross psychological first aid training and become a volunteer wellbeing check-in caller.

Another way to get involved is to join one of the many local resilience groups that formed in the wake of the 2022 floods.

Known as CHUBs (Community Resilience Hubs), the groups are active in areas including Main Arm, South Golden Beach, Wilsons Creek, Federal, Mullumbimby, Bangalow, Minyon (Upper Coopers Creek) and Coorabell in the Byron Shire.

The volunteer teams include street coordinators whose role involves identifying vulnerable members of the community, such as elderly people and those with a disability, who may need help evacuating in an emergency.

Volunteers are also trained in using communications systems such as portable radios and Starlink satellite services when WiFi and mobile networks go down.