CFA is encouraging business owners in high risk areas on the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island and Bass Coast to take part in a new disaster ready program.
The free program was developed to help business owners build resilience and prepare for future disasters and will run from June to September 2023.
The Gippsland and Great Ocean Road visitor hotspots have been chosen because of the detrimental impacts the closure of businesses in these areas would have.
CFA Head of Community Preparedness Lucy Saaroni said being disaster ready is important for business owners operating in high-risk regions.
“Small businesses are the economic and social heartbeat of Victorian communities,” she said.
“They make up 97 per cent of all businesses yet are often overlooked in disaster preparedness and risk reduction planning.”
The economic costs of disasters like COVID-19, floods, and bushfires have impacted communities deeply, resulting in empty stores along high streets and a significant decline in social capital.
“This program aims to reduce these outcomes by building capabilities in business owners to better understand their emergency risks and prepare themselves and their community for future events,” she said.
The program is a collaboration between CFA, VICSES, Department of Jobs, Skills, Industries and Regions and social enterprise Resilient Ready.
The program includes input from members of the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Regional Advisory Councils to contribute towards content development, lived experience storytelling, workshop participation, and local community engagement.
“Culturally and linguistically diverse business owners and tourism operators, in particular, play an important leadership role in connecting preparedness messaging into non-English speaking local business people and visitors, including international visitors,” Lucy said.
The program has been produced with funding provided by the Australian Government in partnership with the States and Territories under the National Partnership Agreement for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Registrations for the program are open now via Disaster Ready Great Ocean Road and Disaster Ready Phillip Island + Bass Coast.