A new NSW Government strategy will minimise the impact of disasters on infrastructure, making it possible for residents and businesses to access electricity, running water and transport in the event of a disaster.
Minister for Emergency Services, Troy Grant, launched the NSW Critical Infrastructure Resilience Strategy (CIRS).
Critical Infrastructure (CI) includes assets relating to water, food, electricity, telecommunications, transport, and health that support the NSW community each day.
Mr Grant said risks to CI come from natural disasters such as bush fires, storms and floods, but increasingly also from threats of cyber attack and terrorism.
“These threats must be managed through an all-hazard, collaborative approach to ensure the safety, security and resilience of our community,” Mr Grant said.
Natural disasters alone cost NSW approximately $3.6 billion every year, which is expected to rise to $10.6 billion by 2050.
“The work we all do before an emergency or disaster helps save lives, protects property, and prepares communities for those challenging times during and immediately after a disaster,” Mr Grant said.
The CIRS will deliver numerous benefits to the people and businesses of NSW, including:
- Greater ability for critical services to continue operating and withstand the shocks of natural disasters and cyber attack
- Better emergency management coordination through closer collaborations between government, local government and private infrastructure providers
- Lower reconstruction costs arising from disaster and emergency events
- Enhanced public warning messages and community preparedness
- Better adaptation to climate change and population growth through long-term planning and design of assets
