New measure of disaster resilience for local communities

The first national snapshot of disaster resilience to help governments and emergency services improve their communities’ resilience to natural hazards has been published.

The Australian Disaster Resilience Index provides a nationally standardised index of resilience in the form of navigable maps of regions across the country and is presented as an interactive website.

Funded by the Bushfires and Natural Hazards CRC and developed by the University of New England, the index uses eight factors for assessment encapsulating the resources and abilities to prepare for, absorb and recover from natural hazards, or that enable learning, adaptation and problem solving.

The dashboard shows how these capacities for disaster resilience are distributed across Australia, and the factors that enhance or constrain disaster resilience in different communities.