In March 2022, not-for-profits Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) and Holding Hands Under Ground (HHUG) joined forces to respond to the catastrophic floods that devastated the Northern Rivers community.
EWB’s Isabella Fredheim told The Echo, ‘In June 2022, we mobilised volunteer engineers from across the world to respond to the engineering needs of 112 expressions of interest for assistance from flood-affected Northern Rivers residents.
‘This was the first time EWB mobilised engineering support to respond to a climate-related disaster in Australia. Two years on from the floods, we have had an opportunity to speak with residents and volunteers to learn what worked well, what did not, and where we could do better in the future to assist communities recover from disasters’.
She says the night includes a short film that shares the stories of flood-affected residents, documents the engineering response, and highlights the challenges experienced by residents and volunteers.
2022 flood project findings
‘EWB and HHUG will present what they learned from the pilot project, and a panel discussion will be hosted by HHUG co-director, Ella Rose-Goninan, on how we can apply learnings from the 2022 flood recovery response to future disasters, what support is required for communities to thrive, and where to from here for the Northern Rivers community.
‘Ella will be joined on the panel by civil engineer and EWB volunteer, Dominic Cavanough (Cav), EWB chief engineer, Peter McArdle, Resilient Uki founder, Melanie Bloor, and Richmond Landcare project officer, Ivy Young.
The free event will be held Thursday, March 21, from 5.30 until 8pm at the Mullum Drill Hall, located at 4 Jubilee Ave Mullumbimby. The night includes a short film, a panel discussion and Q&A.
RSVP via www.ewb.org. au/northern-rivers-event.
