Compounding disasters erode resilience

Community recovery and resilience erodes when multiple disasters occur within a short period. As disasters pile up, they have a compounding effect on communities. They can weaken support systems, making communities vulnerable to future disasters. For example, in 2010 the townships of Charlton and Creswick in Victoria flooded three times in the space of five months. The earlier, smaller floods were said to have made communities apathetic towards the more destructive 2010-11 floods. 

Deloitte Access Economics (2022) “The social, financial and economic costs of the 2022 South East Queensland Rainfall and Flooding Event” Queensland Reconstruction Authority

Image: Man pushing mud off a suburban street in Fairfield, Brisbane, 2011. Credit: Troy Hansen, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.