Centre for eCommerce and Communications Project Update/Overview Understanding 2011 Grampians Natural...

Centre for eCommerce and Communications

Project Update/Overview

Understanding 2011 Grampians Natural Disaster, addressing risk and resilience

Research Team

Federation University Australia

22 January 2014


Project Progress:

• Data collection – completed (surveys; interviews)• Data analysis; report writing• Draft report + literature review chapters


Project Progress (continued):

•Honours project:

- Overview of findings from James Cameron’s thesis

“LANDSLIDE MAPPING & PROCESSES IN THE GRAMPIANS, VICTORIA”

70% of landslides initiated in 4 rock units

25% of landslides initiated in the Silverband Formation

90% of landslides on eastern slopes >22°

Majority > 33° (angle of repose?)

3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 570

10

20

30

40

50

60

Failure Point Frequency Distribution For Slope - Surface Geology Other

G396Skms2SkrkSksgY-FSkmmSkraSkmwSkms1Sks

Slope Angle - Increments 3°

Fre

qunc

y -

Tot

al 2

74

Serra Sandstone & Glen Hills Sandstone can fail at low rainfall

More rock units fail in rainfall >220mm

Even ‘strong’ rocks fail when rainfall >250mm

150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 2500

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Failure Point Frequency Distribution For Rainfall - Surface Geology Other

G396Skms2SkrkSksgY-FSkmmSkraSkmwSkms1Sks

Rainfall (mm)

Fre

quen

cy -

Tot

al 2

74


GNDR Website

Updates to the website:• Interactive landslide

maps;• Knowledge

management–resource

‘centre’.

www.gndr.org.au

Project Website: www.gndr.org.au

http://www.gndr.org.au/

Project Website: www.gndr.org.au

HighHigh resolution image



GNDR Website updates

• GNDR Document library

• Access to publically available documents (reports;

journal articles; policies. Also links to useful websites;

YouTube clips);

• Various resources: Local government, state & national

papers and documents;

• Search option; search by category for advanced use;

• Additional resources can be continue to be added.


Overview of Findings

• Interviews and Surveys:

Preparedness and the emergency Response:

‘this was an event like no other’;

‘we never thought about a landslide in Halls Gap’

Flooding and landslides were wholly unexpected and

therefore difficult to prepare for and respond to.

Individual and resident(n = 20)

Businesses/organisations (n = 17)

* Estimate of preparedness prior to the Grampians Natural Disaster: resident, business, community

On BCO during the event(n = 17)

On BCO during recovery(n = 17)

* Financial impact on businesses and community organisations (BCO)


What worked well?

Catalysts for effective preparation and response:

Staff from emergency and recovery services organisations identified the following catalysts:• Past Experience and local knowledge• Communication and coordination• Valuable community contacts and community ‘Hubs’


Community perceptions: Preparation and response of emergency and recovery services:• Varied perceptions – largely positive;

• Written comments provide more detail: particular services provided good information, coordinated support and overall assistance;

• Some frustration about the length of time to rebuild infrastructure; warnings kept tourists away.


Challenges in preparing and responding to

this event:

Perceptions from the emergency and recovery services

organisations:

• Some blurring of agency roles

• Flood warning systems

• Miscommunication/ Poor communication

• Complexities of the community response: expectation

versus reality

• Workforce gaps


Social impacts: Emergency and recovery services organisations

• Pressures of providing response and recovery for this disaster (going above and beyond the call of duty);

• Fatigue; potential for worker ‘burn out’ (long work hours);• Dramatic shifts between roles for some workers in

response to the emergency.


Economic impacts: Emergency and recovery services organisations

• Concerns for short-term tourism reductions to businesses at the time when recovery programs were being conducted by various agencies

• Very limited ability to recognise benefits that can be gained from the event via short-term recovery activity and longer-term building legacy opportunities


The main social and economic impacts of the Grampians natural disaster in 2011.


Social impacts - Community Reflections:

Individuals/Residents:

50% = reported ‘little or no impact’ following natural disaster.

20% = reported ‘high or very high impact’ from the floods and/or landslides (Reason: property damage, including loss of land, fencing and outbuildings, along with ‘stored items’).

Other impacts: Travel in region (routes, times, distance)


Social impacts on community continued…

• Minimal injuries; no loss of life;

• (Some) perceived threats: family and personal safety; other threats -

damage to property and possessions;

• Coping: Health and wellbeing indicators –largely ‘un-impacted’ BUT

some reports of stress and anxiety.

• Support during this event was received by family, friends, community:

‘…with the help of our friends in the community, we coped

satisfactorily’;

‘We saw how communities rally round’.


Economic impacts

Costs on emergency agencies

• Total expenditure of approximately $140M

• Plus operating budgets stretched to place more resources in the Grampians

• Intangibles costs:• management stress due to ad hoc governance,

• staff ‘burn out’ from long hours work

• agency officials dealing with legal obligations like insurance and safety.


Economic impacts (continued…)

Costs on individuals and residents• Minimal to moderate financial costs incurred• Indication that ‘employment opportunities were

created’ during the recovery• Intangible cost that frustrated residents was

insurance covering private property (to the extent that local councils assumed responsibility)



Costs on business and community organisations• majority of businesses and community organisations

negative or very negative financially impacted: loss of income through reduced tourist activities

• loss of earnings/no earnings, none or few ‘sales’, and loss of normal trading.

• However, all businesses reported no negative income issues ‘now’, which indicate resilience in recovery to prior status



Costs on business and community organisations• Intangible costs were reported by businesses

• Bureaucracy• Confined movement• Anxiety-related health issues

Indication of some non-market resilience problems


Economic impacts (continued…)Recovery phase outcomes

• Approx $140M construction work produced jobs and skill enhancement

not available prior to the event

• Output benefits from this work were modelled to multiply out to $304M,

far outweighing the tourism losses calculated by ten times, spread

widely

• Only a small amount of this assisted tourism sector

• Only short-term jobs and output

Enabled the region to have some output gains immediately after the event that

added to resilience.



Recovery phase outcomes• Very little evidence of any legacy from this

emergency being recognised, honoured and commemorated (see Parks Victoria website…as if it did not happen)

• Particular type of tourism opportunity that has not been taken advantage: e.g. ANZAC commemorations

• Shows lack of dynamic resilience


Environmental Impacts• Direct and indirect environmental

impacts from the landslides to the natural environment;

• Community passionate about their environment: Changes observed to the environment (altered physical terrain, changes to flora). ‘Stress’ caused by the damage to environment (and loss of income);

• Positives: New Park infrastructure.

Pavement and culvert damage, Silverband Rd (source VicRoads)


Recommendations

• Recommendations - based on the findings of this research;

• Consolidate and build on the large amount of work (reports and planning documents) already undertaken since this event by key agencies and organisations;

• Consideration of current and future capacity to further developing community resilience.


Recommendations• Agencies involved in areas of potential landslide need to be

very aware, informative and inclusive in their dealings with the local community (both residents and business) - need for stronger public-private partnership between public agencies and private businesses and residents• build inclusiveness prior to any disaster by providing

better information for more effective complexity modelling

• allow community and businesses to be involved more in relief and recovery during the disaster and its aftermath


Recommendations

• Strong post-emergency ‘legacy’ opportunity created through information on websites and other media outlets• recognise the strong relief efforts during the disaster• even more, recognise the vastly improved and more

extensive infrastructure through the Park for residents, tourists and professionals who value ecological and economic resilience


Recommendations

• Diversify from existing businesses and community activities by broadening what tourism represents in the region and to even bringing in different business activity such as knowledge-based industries that value the ecological environment (e.g. geospatial mapping).


Recommendations

• Measure intangible costs and risk assessments in a coherent approach accepted by all stakeholders e.g. governmental arrangements and in insurance claims (financial stress stem from lack of appreciation of landslides as disasters that have cumulative effects)

• Risk assessment and resilience building officer should be employed across the major stakeholders to co-ordinate such assessments and risk preparedness


The factors identified that increase preparedness and response to natural disaster by the community and emergency and recovery services.


Where to from here?

• Draft Report: Late January 2014;

• Feedback on draft report: mid February 2014

• Report finalisation: Late February 2014


More Information

Dr Helen Thompson, Director, CeCCT: 03 5327 9418

E: [email protected]

Alison Ollerenshaw

T: 03 5327 6201

E: [email protected]

Project website: www.gndr.org.au

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Centre for eCommerce and Communications Project Update/Overview Understanding 2011 Grampians Natural...

Documents

Transcript of Centre for eCommerce and Communications Project Update/Overview Understanding 2011 Grampians Natural...