Hornsby Shire Council, with funding through the NSW Severe Weather and Flood Grant, has a pilot program to work with the Wisemans Ferry community to build community resilience and social recovery in that area.

This initiative is in response to the flooding that occurred in February and March 2022, particularly affecting Wisemans Ferry and its surroundings. The project will draw on the experiences of the Wisemans Ferry community, the agencies and organisations who are actively working in flood response and recovery, and the findings from the NSW Flood inquiry.

To effectively support and build disaster resilient communities it is essential to build on the local knowledge, experience and connections which see communities through floods and other challenges. Working alongside the Wisemans Ferry Community, the aim of the pilot will be to adopt a community-led approach to understand what community resilience means in a local context, and what practical steps may need to be taken to get there.

Some of the socio-economic benefits from this program will include:

• identifying emerging needs following recent flooding events
• identifying vulnerable groups and ensure they are supported in the disaster recovery process for future events
• increasing community awareness, enhancing capacity and building resilience to future disasters
• increasing community awareness of the risks of future disasters and ensuring the community is aware of the disaster recovery process
• developing a pre-event recovery plan (if supported by Wisemans Ferry community) in consultation with government, private sector, residents and organisations to ensure preparedness and management of future recovery.