Natural disaster funding announced in Noojee

The Australian Government is funding an Emergency Management Review and Planning for Noojee and Surrounding Areas.
The Baw Baw Shire Council has been allocated $35,587 for the project as part of the Government's Preparing Australian Communities Program (PACP).
PACP aims to build Australia's resilience to natural disasters over six years through a nationwide investment of $6 million.
Federal Liberal Member for Monash Russell Broadbent met with Baw Baw Shire Mayor Michael Leaney in Noojee on Thursday for the funding announcement.
Mr Leaney said the feasibility study will include a localised risk assessment to determine the main emergency impacts for emergencies including bushfires, storms, and flood events in Noojee and surrounding areas.
"The Mt Baw Baw Tourist Road Community Recovery Committee (CRC) was developed following the June 2021 storm and flood events and is made up of representatives of the Noojee and surrounding areas," Mr Leaney said.
"Council will work closely with the Mt Baw Baw Tourist Road CRC and emergency management stakeholders to determine a priority list of treatment options that focuses on future mitigation works."
Mr Leaney said that following the June 2021 flood events a survey was conducted. This survey was aimed a determining the most urgent recovery and preparedness priorities required.
"The survey highlighted the risks facing the community given their isolation and limited access to telecommunications. It was the results of this survey that determined the need for an additional comprehensive study into the risks and future mitigation works," Mr Leaney said.
Mr Broadbent said communities are best placed to understand their unique needs and know how they can best improve their resilience and reduce their level of risk to natural disasters.
"Disasters currently cost Australian taxpayers $18.2 billion per year and this has been forecast to rise to $39 billion per year by 2050, even without increased frequency and intensity of weather events due to climate change," he said.
"The whole idea of the resilience project is that small communities like these can still function during an emergency. If you lose power here, you lose telecommunications and water. This funding commits to a plan to be prepared."
This is the first stream of PACP. This round of funding totals $150 million and aims to support locally identified and locally-led projects. Other areas in Monash that received funding under the program's first stream were Bass Coast Council and the Venus Bay Community Centre.