LATROBE City Council has been shortlisted as a finalist and received a commendation from Local Government Professionals (LGPro) at their recent awards ceremony, in the Disaster Readiness and Recovery category.
Council’s application highlights the City Presentation Emergency Management Response Manual (Manual), a key initiative implemented after the 2021 storm events, which has improved data collection, resource optimisation and digital solutions.
Latrobe City Council Chief Executive, Steven Piasente said the 2021 storm and flood event caused damage across Latrobe City, and council has since considered key learnings from the event.
“Well done to council’s City Presentation team for the huge amount of work they’ve put in with both the continual clean up from the 2021 storm and the manual they have since created,” Mr Piasente said.
“It’s a huge honour to be a finalist and receive a commendation in the LGPro awards against other finalists from councils throughout Victoria.
“Teamwork, innovation and community-first mindset can transform disaster response and recovery and deliver tangible benefits for both council and the broader community.”
Some key achievements associated with the manual’s first implementation during the subsequent February 2024 storm event included full road network inspections and initial Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) data collection within 24 hours post-event, full road network reopening within 36 hours post-event and storm clean up program and detailed DRFA data collection within 72 hours.
The manual also helped to build a stronger connection between council and external agencies like State Emergency Service (SES) and Victoria Police, improving disaster recovery response in the region.
The initiative significantly enhances disaster resilience for both the community and council by improving response times, communication and recovery processes.
For the community, quicker road re-openings, achieved within 24 and 36 hours respectively during the February and September 2024 storm events, restored safe travel and essential service access sooner.
