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Fighting floods or living with them?A new book, produced by the CMA and written by Chas Keys, details the major floods that have occurred in the Lower Hunter over the past 200 years, and provides an account of heroic rescues, tragic losses, and the beginning of an integrated approach to flood management as a consequence of the 1955 flood. It contains many historical photos and personal recollections never seen before, including harrowing tales of survival from local residents of floods dating as far back as 1930. One contributor, Lois Dawson, recalls the terror of crossing Belmore Bridge in the family car in an attempt to escape their flooded Bolwarra property in 1955. Maitland, City on the Hunter: Fighting floods or living with them? is available for $29.95 (including GST) plus postage and handling. To purchase a copy, contact the CMA on 4930 1030 or print out an order form and post it to the CMA. the book is also available from McDonald’s Book Sellers in Maitland Mall. Are you FloodSafe?Floods can occur at any time and often strike with little or no warning. It is important to be prepared for flooding at all times and have an Emergency Kit ready. During a flood, listen to the local radiostation for information and, if evacuation is necessary, follow instructions from the State Emergency Service (SES). In a flood emergency, contact the SES on 132 500. For life-threatening emergencies call 000. The Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority, the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and the local community have worked closely together to develop a Community Flood Education Strategy for Maitland and the Hunter Valley with funding from the Australian and New South Wales Governments Natural Disaster Mitigation Programme (NDMP). An Advisory Committee with representatives from residential, rural and business sectors, has ensured the strategy addresses the needs of the local community. As a key action of the strategy, an information kit has been developed and distributed to over 7,000 residents of Maitland and surrounding flood-prone areas, including households, businesses, schools and government departments. The kit includes a DVD, with a computer animation of a 100 year flood event in Maitland. The computer model proved to be a vital tool in the emergency management of the June 2007 flood in Maitland, to provide predictions of the performance of the mitigation scheme and the sequence of property inundation, which lead to the safe and orderly evacuation of over 4000 at-risk residents. If you'd like a copy of the kit please contact Flood Education Officer Amanda Hyde on 4930 1030. Fact sheets included in the information kit:
SES FloodSafe Guides for Central Maitland, Lorn, Horseshoe Bend and South Maitland (also included in the information kit):
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