AS the Hunter heads into a potentially deadly summer season with a heightened risk of bushfires, storms, floods and heatwaves, the City of Newcastle (CN) has urged locals to be prepared.
The impacts of a combined El Nino and positive Indian Ocean Dipole event coupled with climate change is expected to bring dangerous weather conditions to the region this summer - putting the community's most vulnerable at risk.
At a recent council meeting, CN looked at the steps it could take to protect those at risk and made a public plea to the community to protect themselves and their property as the weather heats up.
Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said she had already been contacted by locals asking about the council's response to the potential impacts of climate change on livelihoods and the city more broadly.
"It's a collective concern," she said.
"It's not only people in rural, regional or remote areas that are at risk, there's increased risk in living near significant bush, forest, grassland and coastal scrub like much of our city, and as the motion notes the risks and impacts of these events can be more deeply and disproportionately felt by different communities and social groups in our city.
"The messages we hear on the radio, on TV, coming into this summer are not platitudes."
As part of its decision, the council noted that large parts of the Hunter region, including Newcastle, have already been drought-declared and commended organisations like Zara's House, the Red Cross and the SES for the emergency preparedness actions already under way to increase disaster resilience in vulnerable communities.
Labor Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes told the council that in previous years, pool hours and access to public assets like libraries had been extended in heatwaves to give the community somewhere cool to escape.
The council will take proactive steps to educate and prepare the community and will look at actions it can take to keep locals safe, as well as encouraging all levels of government to address the root causes of climate change.
Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe tried to move an amendment to the motion to specifically address some of those root causes, but the council felt it should come to them as a separate decision.
"I find that adaptation communications never acknowledge emissions reduction and global warming mitigation, which I just find is essential," she said.
"I feel like the conversations are about this thing that is coming that we need to prepare for, and it has this tone to it that this thing is expected and it's quantifiable.
"The point that's so critical that it's missing is that we do not yet know what future we are going to experience, but we do have everything within our power right now to make that future as liveable as possible."
According to the council, the El Nino declaration could bring with it more prolonged and intense heatwaves than usual, with extreme temperatures posing a real risk to the elderly, young children and people with pre-existing medical conditions.
The El Nino also increases the risk of bushfires and severe storms, and the council said residents need to prepare for power outages, floods and damage to property.
The council report encouraged residents to create a Personal Evacuation Plan for bushfire and storm survival, to stay informed with weather forecasts and emergency alerts and to prepare their properties.
During heatwaves, the council urged locals to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activities during the hottest part of the day and to check on vulnerable neighbours and family members.
