THE risk of heat impacting on the health of the community is deemed to be “medium”, but recent extreme hot weather events have been considered in the revised Heat Health Plan adopted by Gannawarra Shire Council.
The development, adoption and ongoing review of a Heat Health Plan supporting the mitigation of the risk of extreme heat and heatwaves on the community is required under the Emergency Management Act 1986.
Municipal councils are required to have arrangements in place to prevent, respond to and recover from any emergencies that could occur in the municipality.
In Victoria, natural events like heatwaves constitute an emergency under the Emergency Management Act 1986 with the Department of Health and Human Services having the overall responsibility for the co-ordination of heat health activities in Victoria, shire community well-being director, Mandy Hutchinson said.
Ms Hutchinson said that extreme heat events and heatwaves have contributed to more deaths in Australia than any other natural hazard.
“Several consecutive days of extreme temperatures, with high night-time temperatures, are the most lethal however impacts to human health can occur on a single day of extreme heat,” she said.
Council first adopted a Heatwave Plan in November 2009. While extreme heat events occur on an annual basis in Gannawarra, there have been two significant heatwave events over recent years:
* In January and February 2009, Victoria experienced an unprecedented statewide heatwave with temperatures being extreme for a number of days with little overnight relief. A report by the Chief Health Officer concluded that there were 374 additional deaths during the heatwave in comparison to the previous five years. During the 2009 heatwave, the shire experienced four days of heat above the heat health threshold set down for the Mallee district with the highest daily temperature reaching 46.9 degrees Celsius on February 7, 2009.
* In January and February 2014, a further 167 excess deaths occurred across Victoria during a heatwave. Six extreme heat days impacted on Gannawarra during this time with the highest daily temperature reaching 45.5 degrees Celsius.
The plan has a clear aim of reducing illness and deaths at a local level caused by extreme temperatures. To achieve this aim takes a co-ordinated approach across all agencies, particularly those providing care to those most vulnerable to heat, including the aged and those with a disability.
Supporting organisations who are important partners in planning, response and recovery from heatwaves and extreme heat events that impact on the Gannawarra community, include the Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria Police, Australian Red Cross, Southern Mallee Primary Care Partnership, Cohuna District Hospital, Kerang District Health, Ambulance Victoria, Murray Primary Health Network, Northaven Baptcare aged-care facility, Northern District Community Health and Cohuna Retirement Village.
