Issue 273 – Disaster resilience
In a year beset by extreme events, this month we’re focusing on disaster resilience. Our researchers are helping Australia better understand, respond to and prepare for these extreme events and emergency situations – from bushfires to floods, from hailstorms to droughts. In this edition, we look at flood forecasting, hazard reduction burning and more.
Ten steps to increasing bushfire resilience
A Queensland bushfire resilience guide for homeowners was named a state finalist in the Resilient Australia Awards in Brisbane on October 6, 2021. We step through the guide's top tips.
Building our nation’s climate and disaster resilience: where to from here?
Recent extreme climate and disaster events are fresh in our minds given the summer of 2019/20. So it's timely to question what we can do to build climate and disaster resilience to support our communities, the economy and our environment.
Where there’s smoke there’s complex decisions in the land that burns
Australia is one of the most fire-prone countries on earth. Last summer, as the fires raged, so did the national debate: could we have done more to prevent the carnage? Should we have done more hazard reduction burning?
NSW Digital Twin to inform emergency planning this bushfire season
The new NSW Spatial Digital Twin will assist emergency services in developing effective emergency management strategies ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.
Why don’t our cities cope with heavy rain?
As our climate changes, we'll experience more extreme weather. We're researching how we can create better cities that can withstand heavy rains and floods.
Forecasting smoke from a forty-day fire
In recent years there has been an increase in the occurrence of peat fires. Smoke from these events can significantly impact surrounding communities due to the health risks associated with prolonged poor air quality. Using an air quality forecasting system (AQFx), CSIRO researchers are helping authorities to minimise this impact.
Uncertainty: The X factor behind more reliable streamflow forecasts
A new national forecasting service is giving dam operators, river managers – even kayakers – a clearer picture of river and stream flows up to a week in advance. Paradoxically, uncertainty is a key to more reliable forecasts.
Meet our researcher exploring where the wildfires are
With a view of bushfires from the ground to the air, CSIRO scientist Matt Plucinski wants Australians to learn from the other crisis of 2020.