THE shortfalls of our reliance on technology has been highlighted during the recent floods.
Residents on now isolated farms blame the lack of forewarning on unreliable internet connections – a primary avenue through which flood information is distributed.
Phil Campbell from the NSW State Emergency Service said different tactics are used according to individual situations.
Trigger points such as a river reaching a certain height will activate specific tactics such as relocating caravans at a riverside park and SES personnel will advise.
The NSW SES has a suite of communication means to contact people in potentially affected areas but the ultimate decision as to which methods to implement is left up to each incident controller in the local area.
The SES is one authority which values, and relies on, local knowledge.
- SES spokesman Phil Campbell
According to the type of emergency, different methods are used including door knocking, announcements through media outlets, social media and messages via telephone and fax, Mr Campbell said.
An outcome of the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bush fires in Victoria in which 173 people died, was the creation of the Emergency Alert system which uses SMS messaging to individual mobile phones.
For sudden-onset emergencies this is the preferred method of communication from the SES; the system is so refined that individuals and households can be targeted, he said.
The majority of the flooding in NSW has been relatively slow moving, so local SES Units have had time to prepare and inform people of likely actions.
Mr Campbell said knowing what has occurred in previous floods is vital to planning tactics for each event while taking into account how sudden storms can alter projections and selecting which warning systems to apply.
Research is constantly undertaken to ascertain the most effective means of reaching people in the most timely manner, using the most appropriate language and ensuring message overload doesn’t literally turn people off, he said.