A Disaster Challenge Final is to be held on Thursday where expert teams will pitch innovative solutions to manage floods, bushfires, storms, cyclones and other natural hazards. 

The event will be livestreamed from 4-6pm and the finalists will pitch their ideas to a judging panel of disaster management experts.  

Hosted by Natural Hazards Research Australia in collaboration with Victorian universities and emergency management organisations, the Disaster Challenge Final will showcase three teams of researchers and academics. 

“As the risks of natural hazards increase, collective and innovative solutions are needed,” Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO Andrew Gissing said.  

“The Disaster Challenge celebrates innovation and actively engages the next generation of researchers in Australia. These ideas can help to take Australia forward, highlighting the power of collaborative research in disaster response.” 

The teams were tasked with solving how resources can be accessed and connected in new and innovative ways to improve disaster response amid “disruption, chaos and calamity.” They will detail how to link those who have resources and support with those that are most in need. 

“When disaster strikes everyone is affected and normal systems can fail. Responding involves the efforts of many different groups in society. 

“All have resources that can help, yet in times of disruption, chaos and calamity, systems can be overwhelmed, and we can struggle to access and connect these resources together,” the organisers say. 

"Getting the right support to the right people at the right time is complex and difficult to prioritise, and grassroot community resources can be under used. With climate change this will only get harder with more frequent and intense natural hazards.” 

The University of Technology Sydney’s team is creating a disaster preparedness education initiative for high schools and aimed at students in years 10-12 called Climate Day.  

The ‘Empowering youth-led engagement in community resilience’ solution, from Lydia Wardale, pitches a youth-led engagement program for young Australians aged 13–17 with disaster education. 

The Flood vulnerability index for Brisbane City team, with academics from Queensland, Melbourne, Tasmania and Oregon, uses data to predict flood risk, increasing the public’s awareness of flood impacts beyond inundation, and enabling better preparedness and response.  

Register for the livestream here.