Warrumbungle Shire Council is just one of many regional areas to suffer the ongoing implications of natural disasters. Besides major bushfires, the area was hit by three separate natural disaster events, including flooding between November 2021 and September 2022.

In positive news for locals, funding has been secured to develop a strategic plan for the community to build disaster resilience for the next 20 years.

“Preparing a strategy for disaster resilience will help Council and the community to not only prepare for these events in the future, but to prepare for the recovery from natural disaster,” Warrumbungle Shire Council Mayor, Ambrose Doolan said.

Community consultation will drive the preparation of a strategy for disaster resilience. Reviews of existing infrastructure, particularly roads, will form a major part of this.

“Our area is home to a large number of rural and remote properties, as well as roads that provide access to National Parks and State Forest. Before the natural disaster event of November 2021, the single biggest claim for disaster assistance that Council had ever made was under $700,000," Mayor Doolan said.

"The damage from November 2021 alone is in the region of $12 million, with a further two natural disasters in less than a year after that. Simply put, our Council and community had never before faced the kind of damage caused by natural disaster that we are now seeing.”

Mayor Doolan said the Warrumbungle Shire is vulnerable to events such as storms and bushfires, which have recently occurred on an unprecedented scale.

"When events like these occur, we want to know that emergency vehicles can use the roads, and that our rural residents can access the services they need,” he said.

The strategy for disaster resilience will look at the risks communities face as a result of natural disasters, focusing on improving infrastructure, community awareness, and environmental improvements such as clearing debris from waterways.