Change of approach needed to disaster-risk reduction: AIDR

The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience has a new
handbook to cultivate risk awareness among current and emerging leaders.

The AIDR notes
that intensifying climate change is making it harder to anticipate where and
how disasters will strike, with efforts accelerating to better understand their
risks and mitigate the potential for harm.

“To do
this, risk assessment needs to evolve beyond current approaches and
institutional structures,” the Systemic Disaster Risk Handbook says.

“Whole-of-society
involvement in managing risk is vital to resilience [and] Inclusive governance
and risk cultures framed around place-based, systemic resilience and
sustainable outcomes is key.”

The handbook
was prepared with the help of the Australian Local Government Association
(ALGA), the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA), and other
stakeholders.

Two of the
case studies in the book were developed from interviews with the Mayor of
Scenic Rim Council, Greg Christensen, and Marc Salver, director of strategy and
development officer at Adelaide Hills Council.

The handbook is available at the Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub.

In other AIDR news, the institute will look at supporting recovery for children, families and schools in the next instalment of its Recovery Matters webinar series on 20 October at  2pm AEDT