ABCD Inc presents ‘Preparing your home for bushfires’ video series
Bushfire consultant, Tony Hawkins
THE NEED
Of all the East Coast communities devastated during the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20, the communities of Bell, Clarence and Dargan were some of the hardest hit yet least know about. Per capita, they experienced some of the greatest losses of homes in New South Wales. In total, 108 buildings in Bell, Clarence and Dargan were reported as destroyed or damaged by police out of a total population of only 327 (as was recorded in the 2021 census).
Despite these devastating losses many residents speak of feeling ‘abandoned’ by emergency services and recovery agencies both at the time of, and after the fires.
THE PROJECT
To ensure that this sense of vulnerability and abandonment did not afflict their communities again, the residents of Bell, Clarence and Dargan formed ABCD Inc, a community-led association soon after the fires to advocate for their communities’ needs.
One of the many impressive and practical projects to emerge from ABCD Inc was a series of home visits by bushfire consultant, Tony Hawkins. These visits were an opportunity for home owners, their neighbours and other residents to find out about how to reduce the risk of bushfire on their specific properties in their specific area.
In all ABCD Inc ran 11 events in May / June and Sept / October 2023 with 3-4 homes visited on each day. A range of 5-20 people attended each event braving wind, rain, heat and cold to attend.
All sessions were filmed and later edited to produce a series of 3 videos which are 50 minutes long in total.
These videos are available for residents (or any interested person) to view here.
KEY INFORMATION
13 month project (April 2023 - May 2024)
STAKEHOLDERS
ABCD Inc (Association of Bell, Clarence, Dargan)
Residents of Bell, Clarence, Dargan
Resilient Villages
FUNDERS
Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund (DRRF) which is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments
Resilient Villages