A NEW piece of smart technology that can accurately predict the behaviour of natural disasters from bushfires to floods has been acquired by a Mid North Coast collective of councils.
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The SimTable was made possible with a $225,635 grant to the Mid North Coast Joint Organisation of Councils from Resilience NSW.
The joint organisation brings together Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, Bellingen Shire Council and Kempsey Shire Council who have been working collaboratively to deliver a variety of flood recovery and resilience projects.
Mayors from each council were offered a demonstration of the SimTable last week.
"This is an incredible asset for the community. I was able to watch the way that the SimTable uses sand to create a three-dimensional model of the mountains and valleys within our region," Kempsey mayor Liz Campbell said.
"From here it can accurately simulate the movements of natural disasters such as bushfires and floods, using weather elements like wind direction to show the paths and potential paths of destruction."
The table uses data on weather conditions and for example, the ferocity of a fire to demonstrate how a change in wind direction can cause spot fires with ember attacks kilometres ahead of the fire-front.
"As amazing as the technology is, it was also confronting to see the SimTable in action. At the demonstration, Ku-ring-gai Council simulated the movement and impact of the 2019 Gospers Mountain fire reaching the Ku-ring-gai area had it not been contained at Wiseman's Ferry," Ms Campbell said.
The SimTable is mobile and will be taken to local communities as part of severe weather event planning and information sessions to plot the impact of potential severe weather events on properties.
It is expected the Mid North Coast SimTable will be operational in about three months.
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