Home | Better Prepared - Aireys to Eastern View

New in 2026

We are not just waiting for help.

We are getting ready to help each other.

#communitypreparedness #emergencyready

ABOUT US

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Do we need this?

We know that in a major bushfire or emergency, we might be on our own for a while - especially if the Great Ocean Road is closed as we saw in places like Lorne and Wye River during the flash flooding event in January 2026.

We need to be prepared as a community for those first critical hours or days - neighbours helping neighbours may matter more than ever.

We also need to consider how best to prepare for and support any tourists or holiday makers who are here when the emergency happens.

What is happening?

In the first six months of 2026 we will move through a process with support from the Resilience Canopy to develop a community-led resilience plan.

This plan will inform a range of local community actions that will take place over the next two years to build our local capacity to better prepare for and respond to our community's need in future floods, bushfires, heatwaves etc.

Who are we?

We’re a small group of local community members, and we’re working to help Aireys Inlet to Eastern View on the Victorian Surf Coast be better prepared for emergencies like bushfires, floods, heatwaves, and power outages.

We are a mixed bunch of locals, fairly representative of our slice of paradise, all with something to offer this project and our community. A few of us have gone through formal training with the Resilience Canopy (thanks to support from Geelong Sustainability) and are a part of an Australian-wide network of community resilience practitioners - the Canopy Collective.

What are we doing?

We’re starting a community-led process to build our community response plan that will be shaped by local knowledge, key agency input and industry best practice.

We are doing all this with a growing network of locals who are keen to help others in our community when the next heatwave, flood, or fire hits.

If this sounds like something you might like to be involved in then please let us know as we would love to include you.

More frequently asked questions

General

We know that the community will come up with some great ideas for how we can be better prepared but here a few we have been kicking around:

- Having a satellite phone/internet and UHF/VHF radio at multiple places around town so we have some communication around the township when there is no phone coverage or internet connection

- Creating a stockpile of masks, water, blankets, first aid kits at various locations

- Developing a list of what people might need (eg. assistance in relocating to a relief centre) and what they could offer (eg. chainsaw to help remove fallen trees) in a

- Making a map of key locations and resources around town (eg. defibrillators, battery banks, place of last resort).

- Designing and distributing fridge magnets for holiday homes to educate holidaymakers on where they can access information in an emergency.

The Surf Coast Shire Council do great things and we all know the CFA are simply amazing... but in a massive fire or large scale emergency, they might be stretched thin or unable to reach us or support us straight away.

While we aim to work closely with the CFA and the Surf Coast Shire, the plan is being written by locals for locals to fill an identified need from those within our own community.

Plus we believe the people who live on these streets know what we need better than someone in an office in Torquay or Melbourne.

Do we need this?

What is happening?

Who are we?

What are we doing?

More frequently asked questions

What are some tangible examples of being better prepared?

Doesn't the Council or CFA do this stuff?

Why haven't I heard about this before?

How can people stay informed or get involved?

Join our email list or send us a message.