Real cost of disasters in focus

The record high cost of disasters and how this impacts on resilience was up for discussion last week in Adelaide to mark the United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction.

Hosted by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, the public forum was attended by over 60 people and featured speakers from academic, critical infrastructure, government and agency perspectives.

The theme of the day was drawn from the Sendai Seven Campaign - 7 Targets, 7 Years, which in 2018 aims to reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product by 2030. Up for discussion were:

• What are the economic challenges we face in preparing and responding to natural disasters, and how can they be addressed?
• What can we do today to reduce costs tomorrow?
• What policies and practices need to be created, better implemented or changed at a national, state and local level?

 The panel was facilitated by CRC Research Director Dr John Bates and featured:

• Malcolm Jackman, South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission
• Jillian Edwards, Resilience Taskforce, Department of Home Affairs
• A/Prof Alan March, CRC project leader, University of Melbourne
• Frank Crisci, SA Power Networks
• Peta O’Donohue, SA Country Fire Service 

The day is an important event for the CRC, explained CEO Dr Richard Thornton.

“We’ve been hosting this event for five years now, and these big picture discussions are an important part of the mix. Natural hazards are causing more damage and destruction across Australia, and internationally, than ever before. Our population continues to increase and the urban boundaries continue to expand, exposing more people to natural hazards. The interconnectedness of our systems is often underestimated. We need to continue to talk and we need to think bigger. We must be ready for the disasters that are inevitability coming.”

The event was held in partnership with the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, with support from the Department of Home Affairs and SA Water.

A video of the event will be made available.  Visit the UNIDSR site to learn more about the International Day for Disaster Reduction.