Natalia seeks to prevent natural disaster becoming disaster for business
Published on 04 May, 2011
CQUniversity OHS student Natalia Muszkat has embarked on a project, aiming to help small and medium business enterprises recover quickly after natural disasters.
An initial survey will investigate the best communication techniques and devices for use during disasters, the likely psychological impacts on business owners and customers and the level of disaster preparedness throughout the business community.
Using her current Gladstone Regional Council Natural Disaster Resilience Scholarship, Natalia hopes to deliver an action plan report to help local business owners prepare for natural disasters, as well as a disaster resilience toolkit.
The keen student has a track record of understanding the community as she acts as the program coordinator for the Women's Intercultural Network, which helps new residents and their families integrate confidently into the Gladstone community. She has managed to juggle this role with helping as a student mentor, running her own photography business and looking after two young boys.
"My project aims include to assess the level of knowledge and understanding of natural disaster types and effects, where to access information during natural disasters events and what support networks are available," Natalia said.
"We want to inform businesses what support systems can help them cope before, during and after natural disasters, and give them self-analysis tools to identify stressors."