The lesson learned

HOW authorities respond to disasters and support residents in their wake has changed dramatically since the 1976 hailstorm. Where once the State Emergency Service was the lead response agency for temporary building repairs and tree clearing it is now a collaborative effort with the likes of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Emotional and mental health support have become a priority. Community awareness campaigns are more frequent, spreading the message of being proactive and prepared, rather than reactive and caught unawares. Billboards, radios, televisions and print media often carry the messages, including the ‘If it’s flooded, forget it’ mantra. Those key points were the focus of the inaugural South West Region Disaster Management officers forum where experiences and knowledge were shared to form robust response efforts.

Disaster management officers from Toowoomba met with officers from Goondiwindi, Lockyer Valley, Southern Downs and the Western Downs to strategise on how best to respond in times of emergency - a critical step considering the collaborative crossdistrict responses when needed.

The forum included the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, as well as Queensland Health, the Australian Red Cross, and the Rural Fire Service.

It’s a dramatic change and progression of response agencies in the four decades since the hailstorm, and is designed to ease concerns and increase support in terms of physical and financial assistance.