Gympie region residents have been invited to contribute to the development of a community resilience assessment tool that will help the region plan, prepare and adapt in order to deal with future emergencies or disasters.

In an Australian first, University of the Sunshine Coast researchers and the Gympie Regional Council have teamed up to develop an assessment tool specifically for the region that will measure the community’s level of resilience.

Local residents are encouraged to speak with the researchers at Gympie Library from 9am-3pm on Tuesday 19 May, Imbil Library from 2-5pm on Wednesday 20 May or Kilkivan Library from 9am to noon on Thursday 21 May.

Dr Lila Singh-Peterson of USC’s Sustainability Research Centre said resilience referred to the ability of a community to adapt by changing, or resisting risks in order to maintain an adequate lifestyle.

“In order to detect subtle community level changes in resilience, it is important that the local concerns and attributes are captured in this assessment so that change towards or away from becoming more resilient can be measured,” she said.

“Annual assessment will enable the Council and State Government to identify areas of strength and areas of vulnerability across the region, enabling place-specific policies to be developed that will support locals to become more resilient.”

For more details about the project, email Dr Lila Singh-Peterson.

– Terry Walsh