After years of damages from tree falls, bushfires, landslides, floods and more, Megalong Valley residents are fighting back with a new app for spreading the word about local incidents.
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The app, called Bush Telegraph, allows users to photograph, describe and post any natural disasters they find.
A notification is then sent to everyone with the app installed, keeping the community informed on areas to avoid and situations that may affect their safety.
Bush Telegraph is an initiative from Megalong Valley Community and Landowners Association (MVCLA). The association's president, Max Horn, told the Gazette that the app was meant to solve some long-standing issues Megalong Valley faces through its remoteness.
"The problem that it's looking to solve is that in rural, isolated communities like Megalong Valley, we don't have enough people traversing the roads for Google to pick up that there are road blockages," he said.
"The Valley has one road in and one road out... those road blockages can present serious problems to residents, including safety concerns."
The app was designed by the Megalong community and funded by a grant from the Bushfire Community Resilience and Recovery Fund (BCRRF) of the NSW government. It was built by the developers of the TripView transport timetable app.
Mr Horn said that while the MVCLA has seen reasonable downloads for the app, use won't be measurable until an incident requires reporting.
"We're hoping that it won't need to be used very frequently over the next while, but there's no question that over time we will face similar or related problems with our road and our community," he said.
He said over the past few years the Valley saw a lot of tree falls, due to trees being uprooted from desiccated ground during drought, and a lot of landslides, due to erosion from rain during floods.
"That is really what it's about. It's about providing a channel of communication when there are problems."
Users can join Bush Telegraph as a guest, which allows them to receive notifications on incidents, without any form of required validation.
In order to become a member an authentication process is required, confirming the user is a resident of the Megalong Valley. Members are able to post and upload incident reports to notify others.
Bush Telegraph is capable of supporting any community anywhere, but is currently only set up for the Megalong Valley. The rollout is controlled by the MVCLA.
The app can be downloaded for both android and iOS through the app stores.
