A WANGARATTA org-anisation has received national recognition for its research into disaster recovery.
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Women’s Health Goulburn North East recently won at the Resilient Australia Awards for its work in the area of gender and disasters.
Executive officer Susie Reid said the research had discovered significant differences in the ways men and women responded to natural disasters.
The research looked at Black Saturday and discovered men were more likely to engage in self harm and risk-taking behaviour, while women were burdened by worry and “trying to hold every- thing together”.
Women were more likely to become domestic violence victims after disasters, she said.
“It’s about trying to find the best way to help men and women post-disaster,” Ms Reid said.
“So you have to put gender in the mix when you’re preparing for disaster, during disaster and post-disaster.
“That can be with emergency services org-anisations and their work, or the community they’re dealing with.”
Ms Reid said research showed ongoing counselling was vital after disasters.
“Five years down the track, people are still suffering,” she said.
“You need to make sure the counselling, for men and women, goes on well past the time of the disaster.
“We’re developing family violence and disaster training for all the emergency services.
Ms Reid said the org-anisation was honoured to win the award.
“It’s a very prestigious award,” she said.
“I think we’ve done extremely well.”
The award was jointly won, in conjunction with Monash Injury Research Institute and Women’s Health in the North, in the projects of national significance category.