More than 140 people tuned into a Natural Hazards Research Australia webinar to hear key findings from community research on the New South Wales and Queensland floods in 2022.
Held on 20 June, the Community experiences of the 2022 eastern Australia floods webinar showcased key findings that are providing vital insights on preparedness, response and the early stages of recovery to help reduce future flood risk.
Attendees heard from lead research A/Prof Mel Taylor (Macquarie University), and had the opportunity to ask questions of Mel, alongside research team members A/Prof Fiona Miller (Macquarie University) and Prof Kim Johnston (Queensland University of Technology).
In the webinar, Mel explained the project's community-focused approach that gathered personal stories from community members and unpacked the rich findings, including broad cross-cutting themes that made the floods challenging for community, a selection of key takeaways from before, during and after the floods, some concluding challenges and ways forward, and future ways to disseminate and implement the findings.
Interwoven through the webinar were examples of how this research can assist emergency management organisations, government departments, local councils, community organisations and community members in better understanding the complexities of the floods, including the social, political and economic circumstances within which the floods occurred and how we avoid disasters of this scale in the future.
Replay the webinar below and access the full findings through the Final and Summary reports, downloadable here.
This research was conducted by Natural Hazards Research Australia, in partnership with Macquarie University, the University of Southern Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology, supported by the NSW State Emergency Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.