Disaster Prep Insight done right

As many in the north raise a cynical eyebrow to southern counterparts bracing for Cyclone Alfred, James Cook University (JCU) is taking matters into their own hands.

Residents of North Queensland could be excused for feeling a little punch-drunk when it comes to severe weather events, with cyclones and floods hammering the coastline almost every summer. 

JCU’s Centre for Disaster Studies wants to hear those stories, with a view to improving preparedness for the next severe weather event.

In particular, northern Queenslanders who endured last month’s major flood event are being urged to recount their experiences as part of the survey being conducted by the university.

The survey aims to not only understand how affected communities accessed information and responded during the floods, but gauge how prepared they were for the disaster that followed.

“What we’re really trying to find out is how prepared they were in terms of things like disaster kits, insurance and evacuation plans, because that’s obviously become an issue in some of those areas,” Centre Co-Ordinator Dr Yetta Gurtner said.

“And then we go further on to investigate where did they get their information from and how credible did they perceive that information to be.”

Dr Gurtner said an increasing number of residents are turning to social media to get their information, which poses risks during a severe weather event if it isn’t accurate.

“We want to determine the specific sources of information that people found really useful and any sources they found which were actually spreading misinformation or misconceptions about what was happening,” she said.

“What we’re hoping to do with that information is feed it back into the emergency services, councils and those organisations that provide up-to-date information in order to help them refine their message, improve their messaging, or reinforce their messaging.”

While memories of the most recent flooding event are still fresh in their mind, they are taking a more light-hearted spin with many memes circulating around Brisbane’s fear of the impending Category 2 cyclone.

Check the survey HERE.