Wingecarribee Shire will pilot workshops to help senior citizens prepare for extreme weather events such as bushfires, storms and floods.

The Federal Coalition has committed $69,000 to Wingecarribee Shire Council for the Building Extreme Weather Resilience in Seniors initiative, part of a $1.22 million package for 14 NSW communities.

Member for Hume Angus Taylor, who has ministerial responsibility for Commonwealth disaster assistance, said the funding would support workshops for the over 65s to develop personal action plans.

“The workshops will show older residents how to make an action plan for a fire event or if they are caught in a severe storm – what are the local SES phone numbers, who is your closest relative to call, how to protect yourself and your property,” Mr Taylor said.

“With over 65s being the largest demographic in the shire, I know these workshops will bring people together and help build resilience.”

Wingecarribee Shire Council general manager Ann Prendergast welcomed the grant funding. “Council is very pleased to receive the funding of $69,000 which will enable it to develop its pilot into a transferable program for use by other local government areas.”

The program will see emergency services and local government within the Shire engaging with seniors to better understand their needs, share knowledge and experiences and build strategies that will help prepare them for extreme weather events.

The Community Resilience Innovation Program is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and NSW Governments through the National Partnership Agreement on Natural Disaster Resilience.

A full list of funded projects can be found here. Further information can be found at: https://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/

Caption (below): Mayor Ken Halstead and Member for Hume Angus Taylor welcome Federal funding to host extreme weather workshops for the elderly in the Wingecarribee Shire.