A survey helping establish how Victorians affected by the 2014 bushfires experienced the recovery process will be available online for the next two weeks.

Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) Tony Pearce is inviting residents living in East Gippsland Shire and Hume City Council who were affected by the February-March 2014 bushfires to share their views about the recovery process.

A telephone survey of randomly selected residents in the two regions was conducted recently, with the online survey giving everyone else a chance to have their say.

Mr Pearce said the results of both the phone and online surveys would help inform his review into Community recovery following the 2013–14 Victorian bushfires, which will be completed by the end of the year.

The 2013-14 Victorian bushfires had a significant impact on many communities, causing widespread damage to property and economic livelihood.

“The telephone survey provided us with a lot of useful information and we now want to give people who didn’t receive a call the opportunity to share their feedback,” Mr Pearce said.

“We will use the results of this online survey, as well as other research, to identify ways we can improve emergency management arrangements in helping Victorian communities before and after emergencies.”

The survey is designed to gather information on how communities were involved in recovery strategies during and following the 2013-14 bushfires and how they view the effectiveness of the strategies.

IGEM will also consult with representatives from the emergency management sector, subject matter experts and relevant research entities to inform this review.

To access the survey by 25 September, visit igem.vic.gov.au (External link)