REDLAND City Council is calling on residents and businesses across the coast to have their say on disaster preparedness, launching a new survey to better understand how the community plans for, responds to and recovers from emergencies.
Mayor Jos Mitchell said the feedback would play a key role in shaping future programs aimed at strengthening local resilience.
“Ensuring the community is prepared before, during and following a disaster is important to ensure the protection of lives and wellbeing, to reduce property damage and loss, and to help with recovery,” the Mayor said.
“For these reasons, I am pleased Council has received funding for a Community Recovery and Resilience Officer within our Disaster Management Team to spend 12 months focusing on the development and delivery of community recovery and resilience programs.”
“Assistance has been provided by the Australian and Queensland governments through the jointly funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements following Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“Council already delivers a range of programs and activities each year to build community capacity, improve disaster resilience and help our community prepare for disasters such as flooding, fires and even cyclones.
“This includes managing the Community Champions Program that has successfully demonstrated the importance of local knowledge and connections in supporting the community during an emergency.
“Council officers also provide information through disaster preparedness workshops and presentations, and engage with the community at stalls and pop-ups at events and locations across Redlands Coast.”
Mayor Mitchell said the survey would provide valuable insight into current community behaviours and help identify areas needing improvement.
“Council wants to understand what actions people currently take when preparing for a disaster,” the Mayor said.
“This will allow Council to identify gaps in preparedness and the reasons why people are not preparing, and to understand the needs of people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
“It will also help Council to tailor messaging to focus on what matters most to the community and to improve messaging to reach a broader audience.
“During the engagement period, Council’s Disaster Management team will be out and about at public events and pop ups with printed copies of the survey.
“Surveys will also be available at Council’s customer service centres and island libraries.
“Council will also be reaching out to our business community to hear more about their preparedness and specific challenges.”
The disaster resilience survey is open until Sunday, May 31, 2026, with residents also encouraged to share ideas to strengthen community preparedness via an online ideas board.
