Cairns Regional Council again shows proactivity, requests second review following December flooding event

Cairns Regional Council has again shown how to handle the aftermath of local natural disasters by making a formal request to the Inspector-General of Emergency Management (IGEM) for a review into ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the subsequent flooding event.

Cairns Regional Council confirmed the joint letter from the Office of Mayor and the CEO has been sent to Queensland's Inspector-General of Emergency Management, Alistair Dawson, acknowledging that the IGEM review process is a cornerstone in any continuous improvement efforts of a disaster management group.

The letter requested that the review be conducted in an expedient manner and urged that public input be allowed, as feedback from residents in flood-impacted communities would ensure that the process to identify gaps or areas for improvement is comprehensive. 

Council further reiterated its commitment to fully engage in such an exercise, with the goal of applying learnings to the development of further mitigation, preparedness, management and recovery strategies.

An IGEM review is a separate exercise to Council’s independent After Action Review and the engagement with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Meantime, there's been no mention from Douglas Shire Council about it holding a timely internal review into how it handled and continues to handle its recovery mission following Jasper and the associated flood events.