Mt Evelyn Community Meeting - Conversation summary

Yarra Ranges Council, in partnership with emergency services and state government, are holding a series of Storm Recovery Community Meetings to provide an update on storm recovery and answer your questions.

Purpose

On Saturday 3 July 2021, we visited the Discovery Church in Mt Evelyn to hear from residents who were impacted by the recent storms.

The purpose of the community meeting was to provide a safe space for community members to share their stories, ask questions and tell us what support they need.

You said

• Connectivity is a concern – there was no way to receive emergency updates
• The way the area has been left may lead to more flooding
• Fallen trees need to be safely removed
• The wood from fallen trees should be used to improve the community
• There was a lot of dependence on natural gas following the storm and flood event
• Permanent solutions are required to fix the damage caused by fallen trees
• Some people are still without power even if they were forced to put up a pole on or near their property

You suggested

• Wood should be treated appropriately and available to the community
• Fallen trees are used within the community – sculptures, traditional owners smoking ceremony and healing, repair damaged buildings, furniture
• Better power, connectivity and NBN solutions
• Underground powerlines
• Change-over switches on private property for generators
• A review of emergency plans
• Unregistered tractors be used to help with clean-up
• A single source of information to help oversee all the agencies and point people in the right direction.

We heard

• You would like improved connectivity
• You’re interested in capturing lessons learned from this event to assist with planning for future emergencies
• You need help, guidance, and advice for clean-up
• Road access is a priority and you’d like updates on roads as they’re cleared.
• You would like a centralised place for all the storm recovery information, including contact details
• Clean-up is important and needs to be done properly to reduce the risk of further flooding
• Fallen and shifted trees are a safety risk.

What’s happening

We gathered all relevant relief and recovery agencies in one place so you could hear from them.

Council is:

• working with state government, relief and recovery agencies to provide a coordinated response to the storm.
• committed to community safety.
• offering a special storm tree branch collection, as well as mulch.
• working closely with community members and businesses to understand their specific needs and support their recovery. 

What’s next

• We’ll hold community meetings across Yarra Ranges to understand what’s needed in each community.
• We’ll consult with local businesses and community to inform plans for programs that support community-led recovery.
• We’re working with Bushfire Recovery Victoria to identify options to assist with clean-up
• We’ll establish four ‘Community Recovery Committees’ that will help individuals and communities over the short to medium term recover from impacts of both COVID-19 and the storm.
• We’ll continue to provide the community with relevant and updated information as the recovery from the storm event carries on.
• We’ll advocate for better telecommunications infrastructure to mitigate black spots.

More information

If you or someone you know was impacted by the storm and needs help, please call 1300 368 333.