Bundanoon residents have consolidated strategies and solutions for emergency planning and disaster management as a result of valuable insights gained at last weekend's Resilience Ready Expo coordinated by Bundanoon Community Association. Experts from the RFS, SES, Quest for Life Foundation, NSW Reconstruction Authority, NBN Co, Habitat for Humanity, Southern Highlands Community Foundation, Living Connected, and Council helped to empower the community for navigating future challenges.
Exhibitors were there to not only showcase information but interact with community members around pillars of Resilience, Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. "It was a valuable exercise to have so many experts in their field in the room with residents to guide our community in very practical ways toward being more prepared for whatever may come our way in the future," says BCA President Andy Carnahan who was instrumental in coordinating the session together with Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Presentations by the Rural Fire Service and Red Cross focused on emergency preparedness from a frontline perspective, while Living Connected shared insights to helpful smartphone apps as well as how the elderly in our community can become more connected and engaged through digital inclusion. Petrea King, Founder and CEO of Quest For Life Foundation discussed ways of strengthening our mental resilience and well-being.
BCA even set up a CPR 'Manikin' to give community members hands-on experience with hands-only CPR and bandage application. Everyone who attended took home a Go Bag put together by the BCA, designed to help households keep essentials within easy reach incase of natural disasters or emergencies. Included was a hi-vis vest and snake bandage.
As a bonus, the first 150 households to complete the BCA's post-expo questionnaire received a solar/USB battery bank. "We want everyone in our community to become as prepared as they possibly can be for any emergency," Andy Carnahan says. "This was a great opportunity to get the ball rolling on planning ahead for future emergencies as individuals and in community."
So much more than just another expo, this Bundanoon Resilience Ready experience was supported by the Wingecarribee Shire Council's Community Resilience Small Grants Program to help strengthen this village community's connectedness and resilience while preparing them well for future challenges.
