Case Studies / Lived Experience Workshop
What If’s over Breakfast: Preparedness with Penrith businesses
KEY information
Lived Experience Workshop
completed 2023
stakeholders
Penrith City Council
Local business community
Sharing lived experience to build awareness and preparedness
Opportunity
Thanks to Australian Government Flood Recovery funding, Penrith City Council engaged Resilient Ready to support Penrith CBD businesses in their disaster preparedness and resilience.
Our approach
A “What If…? Wednesday” business breakfast brought together Penrith’s micro, small and medium sized businesses for a morning of ‘what if’s’.
Together with the RFS, NSW SES and the Council, Resilient Ready covered practical preparedness steps businesses can take in the areas of:
- Essential operations
- Insurance
- Revenue streams
- Warnings and triggers to close/evacuate
- Connections with business neighbours and networks
The breakfast was hosted by Resilient Ready CEO + Founder Renae Hanvin. Fiona Jago, Resilient Ready’s Lived Experience Facilitator, also shared her experiences from Kangaroo Island with the businesses.
Disasters and disruptions affect metro businesses as well as regional – understanding local risks and disaster scenarios is critical for protecting livelihoods and local economies.
Bekah Baynard-Smith
Program Coordinator
Metro businesses equipped for anything
Outcomes
By the end of the breakfast, businesses had increased knowledge of their risks, as well as skills, resources and connections to reduce their risk and build business resilience.
It also provided a gateway for further localised support and engagement by the Council and the local agencies to work with the businesses in a more targeted way.
