29.3 C
Byron Shire
November 4, 2024

Council considers ‘disaster dashboard’ and climate emergency

Latest News

$21 million for alcohol and drug services in Northern NSW, as Drug Summit begins in Lismore

The NSW government says it is committing $21 million over four years to enhance alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment and support for people in Northern NSW, as the regional Drug Summit begins in Lismore.

Other News

Sandwiched

I would like to encourage everyone to refer to that large country sandwiched between Canada and Mexico as the...

Fantastic pics from Fairtastic fundraiser

Fairtastic, Brunswick Heads Public School's major fundraising event for 2024, took place on the weekend.

Burial of dead whale at Mooball Beach

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service says the carcass of a 10-metre juvenile humpback whale that washed ashore last Friday on Mooball Beach, near Pottsville on the far north coast, has been buried in the dunes behind the beach.

Free ‘Cinema Under the Stars’ in Lismore

On Friday November 8 you can join in watching the movie Wonka for free as you sit under the stars and partake of an adventure to a world of pure imagination.

Inaugural cyclocross race at Byron

A collection of cyclocross (CX) aficionados broke new ground ‘literally’ and made history for the Byron Bay Cycle Club...

Kingscliff fairy lights turned on 

Kignscliff has received an early festive season gift with its iconic fig tree lighting up. 

Townsville’s ‘disaster dashboard’ website.

Paul Bibby & staff reporters

Byron Shire Council will tomorrow (October 18) consider how to keep residents better informed about natural disasters and whether it needs to expand existing climate-change mitigation strategies.

A website providing up-to-date, local information about storms, floods and other potentially dangerous events could be created by Byron Shire Council under a proposal to be voted on at its next meeting.

The so-called ‘disaster dashboard’ would provide locals with a single site where they could get information relating to emergencies, roads and weather from a range of sources.

Greens Byron councillor Michael Lyon, who has put forward the proposal, said it had the potential to address the communication difficulties experienced during the floods in May last year.

Conflicting reports

Locals reported that they received conflicting reports and inaccurate information during that incident, which made it difficult to make informed decisions.

Cr Lyon said, ‘One of the problems we had in the last flood was all the different information seemingly available from different sources and the fact that people didn’t know where to get the right information.’

‘This website would seek to bring all of the relevant information from agencies like the SES, the Bureau of Meteorology and Roads and Maritime and put it all in one place.

‘You could potentially have live camera feeds of busy roads so people can get a sense of the traffic, and there would also be a list of evacuation routes if that becomes necessary.’

Lismore Council recently launched a similar site, which provides links to information about power outages, road accidents and up-to-date information about the height of the Wilsons River.

Townsville Council has a more detailed version (see above) that includes an interactive map featuring roadworks and road closures.

Climate emergency declaration 

Meanwhile, Cr Cate Coorey is calling for support for a Climate Emergency Declaration, which would aim to expand ‘existing climate-change mitigation strategies.’

Developing a Climate Emergency Plan would ‘further enhance resilience and reduce climate impacts in a timeframe that is as fast as practicably possible,’ she writes. To make it happen, Cr Coorey says a special committee/panel of Council could develop the plan. 

Cr Coorey refers to Darebin Council’s (Melbourne) Climate Emergency Plan.

She writes, ‘Councils in Banyule, Moreland, Yarra and Port Melbourne, as well as in NSW and Western Australia, are currently taking steps to follow Darebin City Council’s lead.’

While supportive of the plan, Council staff say ‘expanding the existing climate-change mitigation strategies and developing a Climate Emergency Plan is not included in the 2018/19 Delivery Program.’

Zero emissions

Yet staff say an ‘initial view of the Darebin Climate Emergency Plan… closely aligns with Council’s Zero Emissions Strategy, a key action in the 2018/19 Operational Plan and well advanced in its preparation.’

So what is Council’s Zero Emissions Strategy? The agenda says it sets the context at the global, national, state and regional level, establishes Byron Council’s emission profile and the Byron community’s emissions profile. The strategy would also use the ‘National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) methodology as Council’s carbon accounting approach ie Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions’. The strategy also aims to set goals, targets and timeframes.


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

1 COMMENT

  1. Byron council bureaucrats: dealing with an emergency is not in our 2018-19 delivery program. Wow! I wonder if Byron Council will stop participating in tourism – or is this all hot air, a thought bubble?

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Truth telling and healing is the only way forward

The decision of the incoming Crisafulli government to stop the Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry is deeply hurtful and detrimental to the healing process for ageing Stolen Generations survivors, says a national body representing survivors.

Byron Bay students win at international SAE Awards

Australian students won in four student and alumni categories at the 19th annual SAE International Awards, with three of four students from Byron Bay travelling to Frankfurt in Germany to accept their trophies.

Working together we can create a better future

I am flying back to the small town of Woodbine, Iowa. In one week from now I will be joining the class of ‘73 for their 50-year graduation celebration. This will be my seventh trip back to a small farming community that stole a piece of my heart.

Nudge is the NRAS Pet of the Week

Northern Rivers Animal Services says twelve week-old Nudge is a delightful red cattle pup who possesses everything you could want in a puppy.