Using an inventory cluster approach for assessing bushfire preparedness and information needs in vulnerable communities

Disasters cost the world $US268bn in 2020 in economic, property and human losses. In Queensland, the most disaster-prone of Australian states, flood, cyclone and bushfire will cost $466bn over the next 40 years. Individual preparation for natural hazards has been shown to reduce this cost by reducing adverse experiences, physical health problems and post-traumatic stress, and improving the speed of disaster recovery. This study categorises preparation activity into clusters according to the activity's purpose in order to survey residents of a bushfire-vulnerable area in Queensland, Australia. This cluster approach enabled identification of specific areas of weakness in preparation plans, finding that evacuation planning activity, and safety planning activity were especially weak. These results show that emergency agency communicators and community engagement practitioners can use cluster-based research to better plan messaging within their bushfire preparation communication campaigns to target and motivate specific safety behaviours. Improved safety of people and property will mitigate the costs of bushfires in Queensland in future.