Image: From left Claire Silverira (Red Cross), City of Kalamunda Mayor Margaret Thomas, Shire of Mundaring President John Daw and City of Swan Deputy mayor David Lucas

The project will be launched during Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Week, 31 August - 6 September 2020 and is funded by the State Emergency Management Committee through the National Disaster Resilience Program (NDRP).

City of Swan Deputy Mayor, David Lucas stressed, “Emergencies don’t occur when we are expecting them, which is why initiatives like the Perth Hills Preparedness Project are so important for teaching us the tools required to plan for an emergency scenario.”

We know emergencies are confronting situations which have long lasting impacts on families and communities.  The better we can prepare for them, the easier it is for us to cope, recover and move forward when they happen.  To date COVID-19 has taught us the importance of good mental health and wellbeing in emergency situations.  Red Cross preparedness programs focus on how we can prepare our minds and manage our stress in these situations.

City of Kalamunda Mayor Margaret Thomas said, “One of the great features of this project is that it also targets our youth, and our vulnerable, providing them with easy to understand ways they can prepare for emergency situations, and improve their resilience overall.”

The Pillowcase Project, part of the Perth Hills Preparedness Project, will be presented at local schools in high risk areas and will give students the chance to put together their own personal emergency ‘pillowcase’ evacuation kits for home.

REDiPlan sessions, which outline how to prepare for bushfires, storms, floods and other everyday emergencies, will also be presented to various community groups.  In addition, Community Service Organisation workshops will assist those most vulnerable to improve their preparedness. This whole of community approach will aim to see a significant improvement in the resilience of these communities.

Red Cross will be holding recruitment and training workshops for prospective volunteers interested in presenting emergency preparedness sessions to the community over the coming months.

“We encourage our combined communities to take action by volunteering or attending a session and checking out the disaster preparedness website. The more people who are prepared for disasters the better-placed we will be to protect and support our families, our businesses, and our extended communities,” invited Cr Thomas.

Shire of Mundaring President, John Daw, said the Shire was proud to be involved, adding that the benefits of preparedness go beyond knowing what to do when a crisis occurs. 

“You can never be too prepared for an emergency situation,” he said.

“As the tier of government closest to community, local governments are often called on to support their communities in times of crisis. A proactive approach to preparedness benefits the whole community and I encourage Shire of Mundaring residents to participate in sessions as they are advertised.”

If you’re interested in volunteering, have a skill for public speaking, and a desire to help the community for an important cause, then make sure you come along and get involved.  This is a wonderful way to help our community become more resilient.

For more information about this project, or to register your interest for a session or to volunteer, please contact Claire Silveira at wapreparedness@redcross.org.au

Alternatively contact the City of Kalamunda on 9257 9999, email enquiries@kalamunda.wa.gov.au.

For more information about disaster preparedness, visit http://www.redcross.org.au/prepare

We are proud to be Perth Hills Preparedness Project partners: