ABSTRACT
In Australia, as in most wealthy nations, the state seeks to address the possibility of disaster and deals with the consequences. Policy is developed and, via state agencies, communities are encouraged to address wildfire events. The use of social media in disaster and emergency situations is a relatively recent development and a growing area of research. Cross-agency collaborations have long been a feature of the Tasmanian approach to wildfire events. The Australian state has a long history in addressing the circumstances and outcomes of disaster events, and particularly wildfire. The prevailing approaches by agencies seek to enable communities as localities to build their capacities to address disaster events. Agencies with limited resources face considerable challenges in developing effective communication methods and materials that meet the needs of Australia's varying and complex communities. This chapter explores a series of detailed considerations of communities and disaster events.
