Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) and Fire to Flourish is holding a series of Big Map events that will focus on small communities in far East Gippsland.
During these sessions, a huge satellite image map is spread on the floor of a public hall. Local residents are then walked through disaster events by experienced facilitators and talked through emergency response scenarios.
Residents get a better understanding of how a disaster and people move through the landscape and how emergency services respond.
DRA has developed the Big Map capability to educate, empower and prepare Australian communities at risk of disaster events.
The organisation for the past 18 months has travelled across the country to share its expertise and knowledge and help  communities mount a robust response to potential hazards.
Fire to Flourish is a new program in far East Gippsland that will use the Big Map capability to educate and empower communities to prepare for and mitigate the risks and potential impact of disasters, such as fire and flood.

IMAGE: DRA National Resilience Manager Adam Moss facilitates a Big Map disaster planning session at Willawarrin, NSW. (PS)