CYCLONE PREPAREDNESS AND RECOVERY

BACKGROUND The key population centres in the are Innisfail (10,000), Tully (3,000), Mission Beach (4,000) and Cardwell (1,250) with at least 10 other localities having 800 or less residents. Approximately 40% of the population live outside of the four major population centres reflecting the large rural base of the regional economy. Agriculture (sugar, bananas and tropical fruit) is a major economic driver. Tourism, worth about $104 million to the Region annually, has been a major growth sector which is particularly significant to Mission Beach and Cardwell. Innisfail is the major regional service town but is closely followed by Tully in significance.

Category five, Cyclone Yasi crossed the far north coast near Mission Beach, between and Townsville, in the early hours of the morning on February 3, 2011, bringing peak wind gusts estimated at 285 kilometres per hour.

The Cassowary Coast Regional economy, worth approximately $850 million annually, has been severely impacted by Cyclone Yasi. Primary production has suffered major damage with up to 50% of the 2011 sugar cane crop being lost in some areas and 100% of banana crops across most of the Region. Tourism, which was already experiencing a downturn, has been further damaged because of lost infrastructure and disaster-related publicity. Cyclone Yasi has provided a major setback to economic and infrastructure development at a time when the Region was still in the process of recovering from Cyclone Larry. The unemployment rate has increased since the impact of Cyclone Yasi and recent statistics for the Far North suggest it may be as high as 11%. Seven and one half months after Cyclone Yasi, residences of the Cassowary Coast Regional Council area are looking at another cyclone season with fear of what may come. This fear is compounded by having the destruction of Cyclone Yasi still very visible all around them, thus reminding them of what does happen when a cyclone crosses the coast near their home.

The people in these communities have experienced a traumatic event and as such, this event can seriously affect a person’s physical and mental health. As the next cyclone season is fast approaching, communities need to be prepared as this is vital for their emotional wellbeing as well as their physical wellbeing.

It has been identified by various communities within the Cassowary Coast region that there is plenty of information regarding cyclone preparedness, however there is little to no information regarding what the people need to do, where to go, and information provision after the disaster. It has also been identified by the communities that all the information that is available is not of local content and that it would help the communities if the information was from a local perspective .

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

NOTICE BOARDS

This project is about cyclone preparedness, recovery and education for local communities of the Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s geographical area. This encompasses the high impact area of Cyclone Yasi.

People within the devastated region have indicated that they found it very hard to know where to get help or information and rumours made this even more difficult as false information was given to people at different times in their recovery.

The provision of weatherproof notice boards within each of communities would enable the communities to have a central point of reference whereby they can access information about where to get fresh water, food, medical treatment, where recovery centers have been set up, and other important information.

This would enable all residences of the communities to have access to the right relevant information as it has been noted that after Cyclone Yasi many communities had difficulty in accessing the right information. This made the initial and preceding recovery very difficult as rumours abounded within the communities and the feeding of misinformation made it difficult for Service Providers, Community Recovery Teams and Cassowary Coast Regional Council to provide the appropriate needed service.

The notice boards will be weather proof and able to be free standing. They will be able to be removed from the designated areas ensuring that they are able to be utilised when needed such as after a disaster, however will not be damaged from the disaster.

Person/persons will be nominated within each community to be responsible for the notice boards and will be provided with the relevant information by the Disaster Committee. As these notice boards will be lockable, both the Cassowary Coast Regional Council and the person nominated will have keys to the boards.

Notices will be put on the notice board informing the communities of where they can access required supplies, important phone numbers, recovery centers as well as services that people may need to access.

DVD This project is the development of a local based DVD primarily about cyclone preparedness and recovery. This DVD will inform our local communities on what steps are needed to prepare for a cyclone as well as where to access information after the cyclone has passed. It will identify specific information access points in each community such as the above notice boards. It will detail information regarding where to find information and how to find local Recovery Centre’s.

The DVD is to be produced by students from the Tully State High School. This will allow the students to develop the project under the direction of a professional media person and will happen through consultation with local people.

This project will enable the students to learn from a professional, thus giving them skills for the future. It will also help the students who have experienced Cyclone Yasi first hand to effect their recovery as well as giving them skills and knowledge for preparedness and recovery for future cyclones. The students will be involved in the process of researching appropriate material, developing a plan with regards to content, assessing appropriate film sites, write scripts for narration, filming and editing of the footage under the guidance of the professional. The students will liaison with appropriate government departments and services so as to ensure accuracy of content of the DVD.

Graphic Design Students at the Tully State High School can also participate through the design of the DVD labels as well as the cardboard sleeve for the DVD.

The DVD will provide people in the Cassowary Coast region knowledge of how to prepare for each cyclone season, how to plan for cyclones that have been identified as being a threat to the Cassowary Coast, and to provide information as to where information such as where/how to obtain safe drinking water, nearest recovery centre is, food distribution, medical attention and contact details of various recovery teams that may be working in the area. This DVD will be locally focused giving each of the Cassowary Coast Communities access points for information.

FRIDGE MAGNETS Fridge magnets will provide communities with a visual aide that will remind them of the need of cyclone preparedness. It will also advise on what steps are necessary for the preparedness by the provision of information with relation to what people need to have such as water, radio’s, canned foods, torches etc. It will also remind people in the communities of the notice boards whereby they can gain further information to access provisions and local information after the cyclone has passed.

The fridge magnets offer constant reminders of how vital cyclone preparedness is for communities of the Cassowary Coast Region and would be an effective communication tool.

The design and content of the fridge magnet will be completed by the graphic design students at Tully State High School