Northern Rivers residents and business owners are being asked to take part in an online survey about their experiences during the flooding that followed Cyclone Debbie in March.
The survey – which covers the Brunswick, Richmond and Tweed catchments – asks whether people stayed with their homes or businesses, or evacuated during the flood.
It is being conducted by Risk Frontiers at Macquarie University in conjunction with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Centre (BNHCRC).
Macquarie University’s Dr Katharine Haynes said people taking part in the survey would be making an important contribution to improving safety during extreme flooding events.
‘The results of this survey will help improve community engagement and emergency management policy, and will be available publicly,’ Dr Haynes said.
The survey project has been approved by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee.
The survey should take 20 minutes to complete and closes on Monday 31 July.
It can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X2H2DHS
Dr Haynes said that while the results of the survey would be important for those managing such events, researchers understood that completing the survey could also bring up mixed emotions.
‘We recognise that many families have experienced significant losses as a result of the flooding and we sincerely apologise for any distress completing this survey may cause,’ she said.
‘If you require support, you can access free counselling and support through Lifeline (ph: 13 11 14) or the Flood Support Line (available Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm, ph: 1300 137 934).’
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