Are we ready now? Will we be ready then?

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC science was extensively covered at the 2020 Australia and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management conference, which took place in person on the Gold Coast and online from 1-2 October.

Dr Patrick Dunlop from Curtin University, lead researcher of the Enabling sustainable emergency volunteering project, gave a virtual keynote in which he shared practical insights for emergency volunteer leaders looking for alternative ways to think about attracting and motivating volunteers, including how to craft effective volunteer recruitment messages, how to increase the diversity of volunteer roles, and how to understand what motivates volunteers and encourage them to return for more.

CRC Research Director Dr John Bates was featured on Day 2 of the program, giving a virtual presentation on the transfer of research into practice, particularly in disaster and emergency management. In his presentation, Dr Bates explained the scenario-based approached developed by the CRC as a means of opening up a productive discussion on how current research and knowledge can be best applied to mitigating the impacts of, and building resilience to, the powerful forces of natural hazards.

Also featured in the conference was Prof Vivienne Tippet (Queensland University of Technology), lead researcher on the Effective risk and warning communication during natural hazards project, who presented the findings of two surveys undertaken to investigate community members’ readiness to act on emergency instructions, showing that current emergency warning messages have proven to perform well because they are highly comprehensible and effective. Prof Tippett also chaired the Community Engagement panel session on Day 2 of the conference.

Associate student Mitchell Scovell (James Cook University) also virtually presented the findings of his PhD project, An investigation of the psychological factors that influence cyclone mitigation behaviour in homeowners, providing recommendations for how to appropriately tailor risk communication messaging to promote cyclone mitigation behaviour.

2020 was the ninth year of the conference and the sixth time the CRC has been directly affiliated with the event. The conference attracted delegates from across the emergency and disaster management sectors, with a virtual CRC booth once again popular during the breaks.

The Australia and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management conference is a joint initiative of three organisations: the Australasian Institute of Emergency Services, the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association Inc. and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.