THE Australian arm of worldwide environmentalist organisation Green Cross has delivered ACT residents a flashy new website all about preparing and planning for natural disaters.

The website, actfirst.org.au, was launched this morning and is in fact the product of a collaborative effort between Green Cross Australia and the ACT Emergency Services Agency, Australian National University and CSIRO, with funding from the Commonwealth and ACT Governments.

Linked to widely held expectations among climate scientists that extreme weather events will increase in frequency and severity as a result of climate change, the site makes use of info-graphics and prompts users to make their own personalised preparations for future natural disasters.

“The extra value is how it translates this into meaningful advice and support for the community and householders,” he added.

Federal Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, also participated in the launch and noted that it was important for Australians to be prepared for the impact of severe weather events.

“Green Cross Australia’s ACT First program will help empower ACT residents to build resilience for what lies ahead,” Mr Hunt said.

Green Cross International is an environmental organisation founded in 1993 by the former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to build on work started at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.