Northern Rivers Regional Community Flood Risk Awareness Project
NSW Reconstruction Authority
In early 2022, unprecedented floods impacted the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Stakeholder and community engagement identified the need for increased flood risk awareness and readiness, particularly in growing coastal communities with many new residents unfamiliar with local flood risks.
In response, the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program (NRRRP) was established: a $150 million joint initiative of the Australian and NSW Governments, designed to support recovery from the catastrophic 2022 floods and strengthen resilience to future disasters. The program includes 36 flood recovery and resilience projects across the region focused on risk reduction, community capacity building and evidence-based preparedness and recovery.
The Regional Community Flood Risk Awareness Project is one of these projects and aims to improve flood awareness and preparedness across the Northern Rivers. The project is being delivered by NSW Reconstruction Authority with its partners in partnership with all seven local councils in the Northern Rivers and the NSW State Emergency Services (SES).
CRED Consulting was engaged by the NSW Reconstruction Authority to undertake extensive community and stakeholder research to establish a social baseline and evaluation framework to inform the project.
Conducted in late 2024 to early 2025, CRED Consulting’s research captured community attitudes towards flood risk and preparedness and guided the development of a region-wide flood awareness campaign. It also allows for tracking of awareness levels and behaviour change over time.
HOW WE DID IT
CRED Consulting designed and delivered a mixed-method social research program, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore flood awareness, preparedness, use of flood risk information, willingness to follow emergency advice and motivations for action.
We delivered:
- A survey of 1,222 residents using telephone and online methods.
- Seven face-to-face focus groups with residents from each of the Northern Rivers local government areas.
- Five online focus groups with Northern Rivers residents from key cohorts (including renters, people with low awareness of flood risk and people who are resistant to following emergency advice to evacuate).
- 11 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders.
Image credit: NSW Government
OUTCOMES
CRED Consulting’s research informed the Prepare Together Stronger Than Ever campaign – a region-wide initiative designed to help communities across the Northern Rivers better prepare for future floods.
87% of participants had experienced flooding, almost 9 in 10 believe their local area will be affected again and three-quarters believe a flood will personally affect them. Despite this awareness, preparedness is low: among those people who think their local area will flood, one-third say they feel unprepared, and almost half have not taken any preparedness action.
The Prepare Together Stronger Than Ever campaign aimed to close this preparedness gap by empowering people in the region to take proactive steps during ‘blue sky times’. It encouraged residents to understand their flood risk, create an emergency plan, know the warning signs, prepare an emergency kit and look out for one another.
The campaign targeted the entire Northern Rivers region, with a focus on high-risk and vulnerable communities with a focus on high risk and vulnerable communities.
A new Northern Rivers SES website was launched to provide communities with region-specific flood preparedness information, including new videos and practical tools, in one central location. This improved access to localised information made it easier for people to understand their flood risk and take practical steps to prepare.
Related reading
Northern Rivers Regional Community Flood Risk Awareness Project: Social Research Key Insights
Australian Government NEMA: Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program
Image credit: CRED Consulting