Mullum Emergency Community Action
The Mullum Emergency Community Action (MECA) aims to ensure the community is a collective source of strength during a crisis. It aims to bolster the effectiveness of official disaster response organisations by creating an on-the-ground community that is prepared, engaged and effectively coordinated.
◦ PREPARED – MECA will amplify the directives and recommendations of the official disaster response organisations throughout the community, identify gaps where the community can be usefully engaged, and help support community training and networking.
◦ ENGAGED – MECA will create a network of disaster-ready community members and identify the resources and people-power available during a crisis.
◦ COORDINATED – MECA will create disaster-resilient coordination mechanisms that ensure that community efforts are in step with official response processes and delivered safely and effectively.
The incredible community response during the floods of 2022 demonstrated that there was an amazing amount of talent, time and energy on offer in the Mullumbimby community. Some of MECA’s team were active in the heart of this community response and now wish to ensure that the resources available in the community can be effectively and efficiently deployed in any future crisis, in ways that are respectful of differences. MECA strives to work in collaboration with existing organisations, including but not limited to the Byron Shire Council, emergency agencies, community organisations, businesses and other stakeholders. MECA is currently unincorporated and being auspiced by Mullum SEED. Several of the MECA founding members are currently being mentored by Plan C, a not-for-profit which builds community resilience across the Northern Rivers.