CHILDREN will be taught strategies to improve their resilience
to cyclones and natural disasters under a new program developed
by James Cook University. The program will be trialled at three
Townsville primary schools from next year after Townsville City
Council this week approved a contribution of $4,500 a year for
three years, pending a grant from the Australian Research
Council. The Community Disaster Resilience Project aims to
increase community disaster resilience for school teachers,
administrators and students and raise awareness of local weather
events and potential climate-change impacts through education
and training. The initiative is the brainchild of lead
researcher and senior JCU education lecturer, Dr Helen Boon, who
came up with the idea after undertaking a similar project
analysing community resilience after natural disasters in
Ingham, Innisfail, Beechworth and Bendigo. Children around the
areas hardest hit by Cyclone Yasi reported suffering anxiety
after the superstorm hit the coast. "Austr