Research projects to strengthen natural hazard resilience and reduce disaster risk are among 11 projects backed by Natural Hazards Research Australia. 

The projects, proposed by government departments, researchers, and emergency services, will go out to tender. 

Among the projects is the expansion of a pilot project in which the use of wi-fi captive portal videos, to prepare tourists and tourism workers for disasters, will be assessed.  

Pilot testing will be in Shoalhaven, NSW, a popular tourist destination and an at-risk area, having previously been exposed to large-scale disasters including the 2019-20 bushfires. Disaster preparedness videos specific to Shoalhaven will be developed. 

Flood mitigation figures in several projects. Infrastructure NSW has championed the development of a robust evidence base to update damage and loss estimation for inclusion in economic assessment. This would mean the full cost of disaster will be better understood and used to inform resilience policy and programs at all levels of government. 

“It could also be of use to the community and private sector, such as insurers. This will better inform the economic assessment and the prioritisation of funding for the required risk reduction strategies,” NHRA said. 

The project will build on existing research and practice and identify gaps and challenges, creating baseline research of recent Australian floods to fill gaps and draft guidance for practitioners. 

It also will update flood damage models to better represent the contemporary cost of damages to agriculture, road and rail infrastructure, commercial/industrial businesses, environmental impact (including clean up) and manufactured homes/caravan parks. 

Other projects include assessing current national and international risk management systems and practices to support the psychological wellbeing and safety of the emergency services and resilience sector. 

It also will monitor the long-term mental health of workers and how climate change, with its compounding and cascading disasters, is adding to the mental health load of emergency service and resilience sector workers. 

A NSW Department of Planning and Environment proposal to improve communication of flood risk to people in at risk areas has been funded. It includes expected intensity and conditions, insurance information, improved flood risk messaging (such as language, ratings, terminology), messaging suitability and social acceptance, and implementation of changes into planning frameworks, community messaging and warning systems. 

NHRA CEO Andrew Gissing told insuranceNEWS.com.au the projects are part of the organisation’s mission to work with partners and the community on research that is useful, actionable and results in better decisions. 

“We are interested in research that will have some tangible impact on safety, sustainability and resilience of communities,” he said. 

Only two years since the NHRA was launched, he says close to 50 projects have been funded.