A new fund to protect the Blue Mountains from risk of future extreme weather events and disasters has launched.
The Blue Mountains Disaster Ready Fund is a partnership between Blue Mountains City Council's Planetary Health Initiative and the Sydney Community Foundation, a public not-for-profit foundation and registered charity.
Money raised will fund a range of projects including the installation of underground water tanks at the end of flame zone streets, community workshops and events, and improved neighbourhood news sites to connect all sectors of the community and share solutions to reduce the risk of future disasters.
The launch of the new fund comes as repeated extreme weather events continue to impact the Blue Mountains, including severe storms and bushfires.
Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill said the fund would provide an opportunity for locals, visitors and philanthropists to make tax deductible donations to put in place additional neighbourhood infrastructure and support to help future proof and prepare our community to deal with natural disasters such as bushfires and extreme wet weather events.
"We know that there is a lot communities can do to be ready for future droughts, fires, floods and heatwaves and there's an urgency to begin putting these solutions in place," Mayor Greenhill said.
One of the projects being proposed by the Fund is the installation of underground water tanks at the end of key flame zone streets.
Along with reducing stormwater runoff in heavy rain events, the tanks would slowly release water to hydrate the landscape during drought and heatwave. They would also ensure a static water supply for firefighting during fire seasons.
"We're hoping to create a culture of philanthropy where everyone will contribute, whether it's a donation of two dollars, or $2 million dollars. Everyone can share according to their means to help us all be better prepared for the future."
Blue Mountains City Council CEO Dr Rosemary Dillon said: "The cost of current and future disasters is only going to escalate, so we need to be proactive in investing in infrastructure that will reduce the amount of damage that happens in the first place. The scale of what we're facing is bigger than what any Council alone can fund, so we need to leverage every avenue to increase the pool of money available to the community for these projects.
"We're particularly pleased that the Blue Mountains Disaster Ready Fund is a Sub Fund of the Sydney Community Foundation," Dr Dillon said. "The Foundation is a reputable public not-for-profit foundation and registered charity which will manage all aspects of the Disaster Ready Fund's governance."
Donations for the Blue Mountains Disaster Ready Fund can be made here:
www.sydneycommunityfoundation.org.au/find_a_fund/blue-mountains-disaster-ready-fund
