Book of Abstracts 2013 - Australian and New Zealand Disaster ...

The project included a range of leading practice approaches: Mapping of heat flux using Geographic Information
Systems providing a pre site assessment of the bushfire risk and a robust decision support system for field assessors
Detailed site inspections that included BPAD accredited staff, ecologists and fire engineers
Establishment of a Shelter in Place - engineered to meet AS3959 requirements, supplemented by Asset Protection
Zones, improved landscaping and emergency management procedures. Cradle-to-grave management - providing a
unique opportunity to capture data on the upgrade of a large sample of vulnerable buildings.
This project involved the detailed on-site assessment and subsequent engineering upgrades for over 300 vulnerable
schools. As a result, a unique opportunity was identified; to capture the required upgrades to a variety and great
number of class 9 buildings, and across a range of Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) zones.
This paper will examine the outcomes of the project, including the typical upgrades across each BAL zone, the areas
most likely to cause defect and maintenance issues, and the resulting cost (based on a per student scale) in each BAL
zone.
Ms Kate Fitzgerald
International Fellow, East-West Center
Hurricane Sandy – Can we achieve both growth and resilience?
Do we need to redefine disasters within our communities? Do we need to increase our acceptance of risk? Can we
achieve both growth and resilience? Hurricane Sandy was a unique event due to the scale of the disaster along the
United States East Coast and the significant and sustained impact upon critical infrastructure throughout the disaster
affected area resulting in an unprecedented, wide-spread activation of the US emergency management structure. This
paper explores disaster management through the concept of reflexive modernization and provides a first-hand account
of the effectiveness of pre-impact decision-making by politicians and officials and the ineffectiveness of post-impact
decision-making relating to immediate relief and recovery priorities. During Hurricane Sandy I was deployed by the
American Red Cross to Long Island to assist in the immediate response and recovery effort in that area and was able to
see the tension between growth and risk within modern societies and how governments and communities are
responding to that. The notorious gas shortages following Hurricane Sandy is an example of how continued economic
growth has resulted in the production of unpredictable risks and hazards in the face of which governments and nongovernment
organisations are required to respond. Hurricane Sandy provides not only important lessons learned from
an operational perspective but can be explored as a new paradigm in which to view disaster management and to
redefine our policies, politics and institutions that support our response to disasters.
Dr Jessica Freame
Manager, Fire Recovery Unit, Department of Planning and Community Development
Co Authors - Mr Sam Redlich, Project and Council Liaison Manager, Department of Planning and Community Development.
Ms Bec Nicoll, Community Engagement Coordinator, Department of Planning and Community Development.
After the Crisis: Recovery Four Years On
The devastating 2009 Victorian bushfires required a massive response from Government, which was exemplified by the
establishment of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA). At its height, VBRRA had
close to 200 staff and was embedded within bushfire-affected communities and Government. While VBRRA ceased
operations on 30 June 2011, almost two and a half years after the bushfires, the process of recovery for affected
communities continued. This paper will consider the State Government role in 2009 bushfire recovery from the closure
of VBRRA until the 4th anniversary and beyond. It will look at the critical recovery issues that emerged in the two to