Recent natural hazards across Australia have highlighted the need to address the risk to life and property through past decisions on how we plan, build and repair where we live. Addressing the vulnerabilities created by these legacy risks is complex and expensive but cannot be avoided if we are determined to protect our communities from natural hazards.
This Natural Hazards Research Australia webinar was led by Prof Gavin Smith of North Carolina State University, who has extensive hands-on experience in hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, and climate change adaptation following severe US east coast hurricanes and storms of recent years.
While measures to reduce damages such as retrofitting, house raising and buyouts are not new, the scale and frequency of their adoption is now increasing. Large scale programs inclusive of these measures are currently being implemented through partnerships between the Australian, New South Wales and Queensland Governments.
In a warming climate, the pressure to adopt such measures is likely to increase as a rise in the frequency and extent of natural hazards places more and more communities under threat from the impacts of flood, storm, fire and more.
It is now vital that we evaluate the successes and the limitations of past decisions as we develop the most effective and most appropriate retrofitting and buyback programs for Australia.
Similar international programs provide opportunities to inform future Australian practices. For example, in the United States such programs can involve many thousands of properties.
This Natural Hazards Research Australia webinar provided an overview of the experience in implementing retrofitting, house raising and buyout programs in the United States focusing on program design and key implementation opportunities and challenges.
Rising to the Challenge – learning from natural hazards to build resilient communities was led by Prof Gavin Smith of North Carolina State University, who has extensive hands-on experience in hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, and climate change adaptation following severe east coast hurricanes and storms of recent years.
What
Rising to the Challenge – learning from natural hazards to build resilient communities
Prof Gavin Smith, North Carolina State University.
Zoom webinar hosted by Natural Hazards Research Australia
When
Tuesday 14 February, 10-11am AEDT