Recovering after the December 2024 and January 2025 rain and flood events will be the full focus of a new committee formed.
The South Burnett Local Disaster Recovery Committee met for the first time on 2 January, to discuss the task of coordinating short and medium-term relief and assistance.
The commitee went to ‘stand-up activation’, and includes four recovery sub-committees -covering economic, environment, human and social, and infrastructure areas.
“The South Burnett Local Disaster Recovery Committee will help promote a coordinated approach by all three levels of government working alongside the community to support initiatives to assist the region’s economic and social recovery following this series of significant rain events,” Mayor Kathy Duff, Chair of the Recovery Committee, said.
The Human and Social Recovery Sub-Committee will bring together the region’s key government agencies and not-for-profit organisations from the social services sector with a focus on supporting people’s mental and physical wellbeing, and strengthening the community social resilience.
The 2 January meeting considered issues of immediate support for those residents directly affected, and the group discussed bringing Blazeaid to the region to assist the rural sector with fencing restoration as ground conditions improve.
The Recovery Committee runs in parallel to the already formed South Burnett Local Disaster Management Group and will assist with the transition arrangements from response to relief.
Another purpose of the Recovery Committee will be to provide guidance and support to Council on issues and barriers that affect the recovery process.
They will also provide advice on the development and implementation of strategies that will deliver positive outcomes for the impacted areas.
