STUARTS Point and District Community Organisation (SPaDCO) partnered with the Red Cross to deliver an Emergency Preparedness Workshop on Wednesday evening, 30 April, in lieu of their regularly scheduled community meeting.
SPaDCO Chairperson Mary-Lou Lewis welcomed the community and introduced Karen Maloney as the Red Cross host for the workshop.
“We are pleased to also welcome Dave Ormsby and local Rural Fire Service volunteers Darren Rogers, Rod Whalen and Neil Gerard,” Mary-Lou said.
The workshop was one of 42 carried out by Karen so far as part of the Help Nation collaboration between the NRMA and Australian Red Cross to better prepare communities for emergencies.
Several resources were handed out, including a clip-on dry bag, a Wellbeing Toolkit booklet and a ‘RediPlan’ booklet.
Karen outlined a number of major issues in her presentation.
“Emergencies are becoming more frequent, more intensive and more expansive,” she said.
“Critical thinking is often impaired in stressful situations and extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer.”
Karen and her support crew from Nambucca Heads Red Cross promoted proactive planning which includes being familiar with emergency phone apps, local logistics and support networks.
Also emphasised was the absolute essentials required in an emergency situation, such as medications and scripts, toiletries, important documents and contacts, and animal/pets transport plans – the list is extensive and variable depending on personal situations.
By Jen HETHERINGTON
