In March this year the Premier announced that the Inspector-General of Emergency Management would undertake a review of the Southeast Queensland Rainfall and Flooding Event in February–March 2022, where tragically, 13 people lost their lives, 9000 homes and businesses were damaged, and over 180,000 families and businesses lost power.

The report has now been released and is available at https://www.igem.qld.gov.au/node/183.

The review assessed the effectiveness of preparedness activities and the response to the Flooding Event by the Queensland Government, relevant local government agencies, and other agencies engaged in response operations in the 23 Local Government Areas impacted.

We made a submission to the review raising issues around dissemination of information about road closures and school closures.

The distribution of effective information to the community was the core of the report. As the report acknowledged:

“The community raised concerns about the way information was communicated in the lead-up to and during the event. They felt the initial messaging resulted in a false sense of security and in some cases complacency, which led to some community members not taking preparedness actions that they otherwise may have. Many expressed the view that with additional time to prepare, the effects of the event on individuals and businesses may have been able to be significantly reduced. There was consensus about the concern for vulnerable members of their community, such as senior citizens. People also shared a concern about the absence of information identifying safe egress routes due to the rapid onset of flooding across multiple key roads.”

Of the 19 recommendations most were about improving the dissemination of information including:

  • Review capital and maintenance of the flood warning network
  • Review and improve how the Emergency Alert System is used, how Alerts are developed and approved
  • Also ensure guidance and training of staff for the Emergency Alert System

Other recommendation covered:

  • Improve interoperability of ICT for emergency services
  • Better tasking for the SES and reviewing Dam safety and flood risks

We also made submission on post flooding disaster relief, which was not covered in the review, although much in the way of disaster relief and resilience has reached local governments. We will continue efforts to ensure this has been satisfactory in Noosa Shire. Should you have any queries regarding disaster recovery or assistance, please contact Noosa Council in the first instance via mail@noosa.qld.gov.au