Children's perceptions and adaptive behaviours in response to seasonal change and extreme weather in Broome, Western Australia

To exclude children and young people from disaster planning processes undermines their safety when a disaster strikes. Moreover, this exclusion ignores the potential communication opportunities for risk reduction between emergency and disaster management agencies and families. This research applied a child-centred approach to the collection of data regarding children's perceptions of how the wet and dry season affects the young people in Broome, particularly where they play, how they get to school and where they live. The research, which was conducted with assistance from the Principal, staff and students of St Mary's Catholic College in Broome Western Australia, also asked students to describe the adaptive and mitigative actions they believed would alleviate the negative impacts of seasonal changes on their lives.