Update on Council’s continued support for flood impacted communities

Published on 04 December 2023

Helping residents and communities develop emergency plans, collaborating with emergency service agencies, and supporting vulnerable people to recover from flooding are just a few of the supports being offered by Council’s flood recovery and resilience team members.

In July, Council appointed Neale Chandler and Natalie Pitts as Community Recovery and Resilience Officers. The purpose of their roles is to assist the flood-impacted communities of Campbells Creek, Castlemaine, Newstead and Baringhup with their recovery from the severe weather event in October 2022.

Since their appointment, Natalie and Neale have:

Met with flood-impacted residents and community groups and stakeholder interest groups from Baringhup, Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Newstead.
Consulted with emergency service agencies, government departments and agencies, businesses and Traditional Owners.
Conducted follow-up outreach visits in support of flood impacted residents experiencing ongoing hardship.
Working with a flood impacted CALD community to develop evacuation plans.
Collaborated on the Whole Loddon Love Baringhup community music event.
Collaborating with Castlemaine Institute, Campaspe Shire Council and Bendigo Health Local Public Health Unit to finalise Castlemaine Institute’s Resilience Retrofits Guide.
Collaborating with Council’s Early Years services on their Children’s Radio Show.
Collaborating with Dhelkaya Health and MainFM to develop a podcast series on the lived experience of flood impacted residents.
Promoted the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics survey which will contribute to an enquiry into insurers’ responses to October 2022 flood claims.

“It’s been really valuable to go out into our community and speak to residents,” said Natalie, one of Council’s Community Recovery and Resilience Officers.

“We’re continuing to gather information from communities and stakeholders and next year we’ll be ready to support residents and communities to develop their ideas and suggestions into community-led and practical resources that aim to promote flood recovery and improve preparedness, so keep an eye out for more information on that soon”, said Natalie.

“Working together with the community has been crucial in understanding the needs of individual residents and communities.

If you would like to speak with Neale and Natalie about future emergency planning for your community, or for assistance relating to the October 2022 floods, call 5471 1700 or email floodrecovery@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

This initiative is jointly funded by the Victorian and Australian Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.