Participants of an exercise at the University of the Sunshine Coast were put through their paces to examine disaster plans in the case of a tsunami on Wednesday 20 November.
Sunshine Coast police and partner agencies participated in the disaster exercise to build capabilities and identify where to improve in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from, natural and human-caused emergencies.
Police work alongside local councils, utility agencies, community support services and other emergency services within the Sunshine Coast District Disaster Management Group.
Research through an ongoing collaboration between the Queensland Police Service and hazard risk experts from University of Newcastle and Queensland Fire Department set the scene for participants.
The Sunshine Coast District Disaster Management Group worked together to consider potential community impacts and coordinate support.
District Disaster Coordinator Superintendent Craig Hawkins said they’ve based this exercise scenario on the best scientific advice.
“Though a tsunami is not anticipated to impact the Sunshine Coast, it is a disaster that would significantly impact the area and the scenario provides a thorough test of plans,” Superintendent Hawkins said.
“The topic of the exercise scenario isn’t as important as the way we work together to achieve our objectives.
“Today’s exercise focuses on factors that will give us the best chance of success, how we communicate between disaster management groups, and how we work together to protect our communities.
“These exercises are vital in ensuring we identify our key priorities at local, district, and state levels and how we get additional help when needed.”
Disaster management teams, led by local councils and police, continue to support community resilience and preparations for disasters.
For more information on how to prepare for a natural disaster, visit getready.qld.gov.au/get-prepared
During a disaster, please refer to Noosa Council disaster dashboard disaster.noosa.qld.gov.au
