NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting Roundup
1st September 2017
Over 50 Members and visitors attended the NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting on 17 August at the elegant Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, Sydney.
Attendees participated in the day’s activities, which included a two-part afternoon workshop, and informative updates from the FMA Executive Committee, the Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW State Emergency Service and the Bureau of Meteorology.
During the Meeting, a formal presentation of the Harold Sternbeck Medal was made to this year’s winner for most outstanding presentation at the FMA Conference, Dr. Raymond Laine. More on the 2017 Medal later in the Flyer.
This Meeting also saw Rhys Thomson, Principal of new FMA Corporate Member RHELM provide a short introductory presentation, which familiarized Members with the organisation’s mission and capabilities.
Karl Sullivan of the Insurance Council of Australia provided an update on the latest developments in flood insurance, including the expansive DataGlobe portal, and made himself available to respond to many question put forth from Members.
The afternoon concluded with a two-part workshop, led by FMA Technical Director Danny Rose; Planning for the 2018 FMA Pre-Conference Workshops and Cyclone Debbie and its Aftermath: What Have We Learned?.
For the first section of the workshop, Mr Rose requested suggestions for potential topics for the forthcoming FMA Conference to be held at Gold Coast in 2018. The key outcome of this workshop was to ensure that the pre-conference workshops to be offered fully meet expectations from FMA Members.
Cyclone Debbie and its Aftermath provided a forum for Members including the BoM, OEH, NSW SES, Tweed Shire Council and Risk Frontiers to discuss first-hand observations made during the recent natural disaster. The Workshop was enlightening and provided insight into the human cost of this major flood event. The presentations will be made available in the Members’ Section of floods.org.au in the near future.
