ENDORSEMENT OF NOOSA LOCAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN 2023 · Attachment 1 Noosa Local Disaster Management Plan 2023

                                                               Queenslanders are faced with responding to and            Residents need to play their part. This means talking
                                                               recovering from disasters that test both individual       with family, friends and staff about what you would
                                                               and community resilience every year. Cyclones,            do in an emergency. It means developing your
                                                               floods, fires and other natural hazard events do not      own emergency plans and ensuring you have an
                                                               respect local government boundaries and adequate          emergency kit and essential supplies at the ready and
                                                               warning time is not always available. No community        taking steps to manage vegetation and drainage on
                                                               is immune from disasters and whilst such events           your property. Effective disaster management requires
                                                               are relatively infrequent in the Noosa Shire, their       a collaborative approach with responsibilities shared
                                                               potential to significantly disrupt social, economic and   by individuals, families, communities, businesses and
                                                               environmental systems as well as our infrastructure,      all levels of government.
                                                               highlights the importance of being prepared
                                                               and having effective and coordinated disaster             This LDMP adopts an all-hazards approach and
                                                               management arrangements in place.                         is built on good practice using the prevention,
                                                                                                                         preparation, response and recovery (PPRR)
                                                               When disasters occur, each local government in            comprehensive approach to disaster management.
                                                               Queensland has primary responsibility for managing        The plan aims to provide the Noosa community and
                                                               disaster events within their geographical boundaries.     member agencies of the LDMG with a robust multi-
                                                               This Local Disaster Management Plan (LDMP)                agency framework to ensure there is an effective
                                                               has been prepared by the Noosa Local Disaster             and coordinated response to a disaster event, and
                                                               Management Group (LDMG) on behalf of Noosa                to facilitate a speedy return to a safe and secure
                                                               Council.                                                  environment as soon as possible after that event. It
                                                                                                                         is a dynamic, risk-based document that is subject to
                                                               The plan’s primary focus is to ensure the safety          continuous review, ensuring its content reflects current
                                                               of our community. It aims to preserve life, prevent       legislation, the region’s risk and demographic profile,
                                                               injury, mitigate property damage, and to protect our      and learning from disaster events both within and
Mayor Clare Stewart                                            environment.                                              outside of our region.
Chair, Noosa Local Disaster
Management Group (LDMG)                                        This plan has been designed with two primary goals        Experts suggest that ongoing climate change may
                                                               in mind. The first goal is to provide a contemporary,     increase the severity of natural disasters. It is therefore
                                                               succinct and useable disaster plan for the                essential that Noosa is well prepared and resilient for
                                                               communities of the Noosa Shire. The plan provides         future impacts. Regardless of what the future holds, it
                                                               an insight into the demographic profile, infrastructure   always pays to prepare for the worst and hope for the
                                                               and hazards and risks of the coastal and hinterland       best.
                                                               suburbs to inform local disaster prevention,
                                                               preparation, response and recovery processes. The         I would like to thank all the volunteers, emergency
                                                               second goal is to ensure that Noosa Council can           services personnel and Council staff who work
                                                               meet its legislative obligations under the Disaster       tirelessly during all phases of disaster to help keep
                                                               Management Act 2003 and the Disaster Management           our community safe. Their efforts are essential to the
                                                               Regulation 2014.                                          effective implementation of our LDMP.

                                                               It is recognised that all of us need to be resilient      I would also like to thank the community for their
                                                               in the face of disaster. It is unrealistic to expect      assistance, support and continued resilience. We are
                                                               one community, one organisation, or one level of          all in this together.
                                                               government to be able to respond and recover
                                                               effectively from the magnitude of such events.




Foreword
Noosa Council | 2023          Local Disaster Management Plan                                                                                                                       6