Greater Shepparton formally commenced recovery on November 25, 2022, but there’s still more to be done.
Greater Shepparton City Council flood recovery manager Carla Dixon is at the centre of council’s Resilience in Recovery program.
She explained that recovery was now under leadership from council, which has begun the process by hosting community-specific meetings, starting with Murchison and Toolamba residents.
The programs are community-led and government-assisted, which means the local council brings initiatives to fruition while the Victorian Government provides funding.
Ms Dixon explained the two key aims of the program and that all initiatives, events and meetings would relate directly to them.
“Recovery isn’t just about fixing the results of natural disasters, it’s also about long-term outcomes,” she said.
“The first of the two outcomes is when myself and my team are gone, whenever that is, that we set up the greater community to be more a sustainable community that has the capability to manage its own recovery without government disaster-related assistance.
“The second one is a resilient community that is able to better withstand a future disaster.”
To rebuild the community, Ms Dixon said it was vital individuals took the necessary steps through available government support systems.
“The biggest thing I think is if people in Greater Shepparton have not reached out to the state government for support — there is support available,” she said.
Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre manager Jan Phillips said the program allowed communities to control their own recovery instead of relying on state and federal bodies.
“The state government did an awesome job, but we’ve now got to recover, and we’ve got to do things that will build the community up where it’s not being done for them, but they’re doing it for themselves now,” she said.
“I think the resilience group is ideal in that forum because they will assist people to be able to help themselves.
“This is kind of my platform with the recovery, and the resilience is that community be considered with all things disaster because we’re the ones affected.
“We’re the ones that stand up when there’s no-one else around, and we need a seat at the table.”
Anyone impacted by the October 2022 floods can call the Flood Recovery Hotline at 1800 560 760
For anyone wishing to attend community meetings and for details of upcoming events or more information on the project, head to Resilience in Recovery’s Facebook page.
