FLOODS: Learning from the past and planning for the future

WORKSHOPS to build better flood plans.

Lismore Flood charrette day 1. Picture: Terra Sword

LOCAL stakeholders have been working through a number of issues pertaining to communication and recovery during the March 31 flood in a two day workshop.

Executive Director Sustainable Development Brent McAlister said the aim was to come to the community summary meeting on Thursday night with some solutions to improve the communities preparedness in the case of another weather event.

"The idea of this is before we leave the room, everyone will be allocated a duty, there will be a lead agent and it will be funded," Mr McAlister said.

"I am hitting up the leadership group and we are talking to the State Government possibly making Lismore Flood Ready a pilot for the State."

Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith said the community still has a lot to gather and learn that they didn't know during the time of the event.

"That's why you get people in a room like this because despite reading all the reports, talking to all the agencies, hearing from residents and businesses, there are always little things that can be really useful," Cr Smith said.

"If we capture those it might help future communities to develop better plans."

"I really hope we get something that the State Government will embrace because in the end we don't have the power to send this outside our own community," he said.

He said while they weren't looking at flood mitigation in this particular discussion, the council's Flood Plain Committee had "a good handle on it".

"It's all going through the works and being tested, once we get back those hydrology reports then we will have some findings we can release," Cr Smith said.

A summary of the two-day Lismore Flood Ready project will be presented at council chambers tonight from 6pm and is open to the community.

It will also be live streamed online, the link can be found on Lismore Council's website.