In a coup for the local government area, Cessnock will benefit from a new tool to assist the community during times of adversity.
The Disaster Dashboard, developed by Resilience NSW, is a one-stop portal, which offers real-time information on everything from traffic and weather to floods and bushfires.
The web application will rely on data from council, NSW Health, NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES), NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS), Manly Hydraulics Las (MHL), Transport NSW, MyRoadInfo, Ausgrid, Essential Energy, Endeavour Energy, Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), SharkSmart, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and other NSW Government agencies.
Resilience NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, who visited the Laguna Community Hall on Friday 25 February, said implementing the learnings of the past few years would help to build strength across the state.
“Resilience is all about acquiring wisdom through lived experiences, so we can come out the other side of disaster and disruption with the ability to better anticipate and understand what our vulnerabilities are and how we can mitigate them,” he explained.
“We’re pleased to launch the Cessnock Disaster Dashboard, which will make critical information more accessible than ever before for communities in the region, helping to keep them informed and prepared.”
Resilience NSW has also invested $500,000 in the Cessnock LGA through grants, the employment of a community recovery officer and other activities.
And, 18 local recipients were afforded financial assistance this week, too, through the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience fund.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said the NSW Government remained committed to helping communities recover and become ever more resilient to future disasters.
“Both the grants and disaster dashboard are wonderful examples of community-led recovery,” she stated.
“They’ll make a real difference for the people of Cessnock.”
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin congratulated the groups from Wollombi, Laguna, Bucketty, Congewai Valley, North Rothbury, Branxton and Kurri Kurri, who had received funding for small scale projects.
“I want to commend Cessnock City Council for partnering with the NSW Government on these initiatives, which build capacity for future natural disasters and community resilience,” he said.
Cessnock City mayor Jay Suvaal admitted the Black Summer bushfires saw residents, young and old, band together to meet the enormous challenge.
“In December 2019, our community came under threat from bushfires approaching from several fronts,” he said.
“For that entire month, our volunteers, joined by brigades from Lower Hunter, Sydney and the North Coast, fought hard to stop the encroachment of these fires.
“Volunteers put in long hours to protect their community.
“Neighbours helped neighbours to safeguard properties that came under threat.
“There were many heroic acts during this time and Cessnock’s strong community spirit was palpable.
“These grants will definitely assist local communities with bushfire readiness.
“We’d like to specially acknowledge Melissa Boucher’s fantastic work in bringing the community together and realising these funding opportunities across so many groups in our LGA.”
To access the Disaster Dashboard, visit www.cessnock.disasterdashboards.com
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