Technology helps predict threat of floods

Farmers and residents living in the Macleay River Valley in Kempsey Shire are well aware of the threat of floods and the need for communications in difficult times. As with any coastal centre on a river system, the ability to inform people about the level of rainfall and river is critical. Kempsey Shire Council launched a flood web page last year to provide this information to people in the Macleay River catchment. The flood warnings are available 24 hours a day, seven day a week.

The flood web page was part of Kempsey Shire Council’s move to improve customer service and improve its communication with its community through an expanded web site.

General Manager, Allan Burgess, said Kempsey was embracing opportunities beyond the traditional communication means of media releases, advertisements, meetings, displays and notice boards.

“Council has taken on board the needs of our web site users,” he said. “The site has proved popular and we are finding that more and more people are logging onto the web site to find out what is happening at Council. One of the features that we have introduced to make life easier has been the way we present our business papers and minutes on the web.

Instead of placing the entire document, it is broken down into individual reports, each of which is linked to its relevant appendix. No longer does a person have to download the entire document.”

For further information contact Allan Burgess on (02) 6566 3200.