The Get Ready, Plan Ahead project hosted Peer-Led fun and interactive P-CEP workshops where 89 people with disability on the Gold Coast learnt about making their own emergency plans tailored to their disability support needs.

QDN’s DIDRR Peer Facilitators worked together to created interactive activities, to help people with disability understand how to use the Capability Wheel, what their local emergency risk is and making an emergency kit.

Through this project 89 people with disability on the Gold coast and their conversation partners have built:

  • Awareness of Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness – identifying their strength and gaps in their emergency planning.
  • Understanding of the role of Gold Coast City Council, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, and State Emergency Services in an emergency or disaster
  • Understanding of their local risks, such as storms, bushfires, power outages etc.
  • Knowledge of where to find important information in an emergency or disaster through the Gold Coast City Council Dashboard
  • Knowledge about important items to have in an emergency kit

This project is jointly funded under the Commonwealth/State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Quotes from the participants

A man wearing a bright yellow working shirt, he is wearing glasses and is holding up a resource.

“It made me think about the stuff at home that I take for granted, like charging a mobile and also what I have already have that I can use for an emergency kit, like bottled water”

A man sitting in a chair with a red shirt and a yellow high vis vest, he is holding up a resource. There is a man squatting behind him wearing a QDN polo and smiling at the camera.

“I feel like, finally, I’m doing something about emergency planning”

A table with disaster planning resources. One says Power outage and there is a picture of a crystal ball and someone is writing emergency, bushfire, power out inside of the ball.

“It was eye opening, because when we talked about risks and hazards with the council, what I thought would be my biggest risk in my area wasn’t actually and I had to rethink what I would do”

A lady with brown hair and wearing a black shirt and holding up a Emergency plan resource

“It made me think – I have to go home and clean my cat carrier! Because it’s covered in spiders, and in an emergency, I’m not going to want to touch it”

Quotes about the workshops

A woman with dark hair and wearing a black shirt and pants, standing next to a man sitting in a wheelchair. He has a large plastic container on his lap that says Disaster Emergency kit.

Just wanting to drop a quick line as a big THANK YOU to Lisa Hateley and Robert Ellis from all at Burleigh Heads Endeavour Foundation Industries (EFI) for providing the Person Centred Emergency Preparedness workshop”.

A man and a woman, both wearing black shirts, sitting at a table and looking at resources.

“The whole team, staff and supported employees, were totally engaged in their presentation throughout the two days, finding the workshop interesting, fun and engaging, all feeling we are now more prepared for any local disasters should they occur.”

Lisa, a QDN staff member with long red hair and wearing a blue polo, is standing with her arms around two people in large custumes portraying Bushy the Kangaroo, and Blazer the Koala. They are the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services mascots.

QDN joined the Council, LAC and Emergency Services for Rockhampton’s Beach Day Out to talk about QDN’s Peer Support Groups and the importance of making a plan for an emergency or disaster.
Gympie’s Peer Support Group will be holding an emergency and disaster planning meeting for people with disability on 8 October 2021 with the Gympie Mayor, Glen Hardwick and Peter Harkin from Queensland Fire and Emergency Service.

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