|
| FLYER ISSUE 10: OCTOBER
2023 | |
NEXT FMA MEETINGS: 8 NOVEMBER AT BRISBANE (QLD CHAPTER) AND 16 NOVEMBER AT SYDNEY (NSW/ACT CHAPTER)
|
|
On 31 October, I switched to ABC TV to catch the 7.30 report which showed the incredible flash flooding in the town of Eugowra in November last year. I can quote from the ABC as follows: “Eugowra, nestled in the Lachlan Valley 300 kilometres west of Sydney, was almost wiped off the map by what has been described as a “tsunami”, “waves” and a “wall of water”. The official peak was in the vicinity of 11.2 metres — half a metre higher than the town’s estimate for a one-in-5,000-year flood event. Its biggest flood on record had been 10.01m in 1950. Two people died in the disaster and a third of the township’s population, about 150 people, were airlifted off their roofs. Despite the optimism, it is clear driving through the streets of Eugowra, the clean-up will take months, maybe years. Homes have been dislodged from their footings and floated several blocks away and will need to be demolished”. The program interviewed local residents who summarised their ordeal and talked of people climbing onto roofs and waiting over 6 hours to be rescued. As the ABC said, it seems this flash flood event was like a huge wave knocking down anything in its path with people screaming and running in an attempt to escape. This obviously rates as an extreme example of the potential horror from floods. The town is split between FMA Members Forbes Shire and Cabonne Shire, and our thoughts go out to both those Councils as they continue to recover and review the available data for future flood modelling.
ID
Ian Dinham | FMA President
|
|
|
|
NSW GOVERNMENT TO NO LONGER DEVELOP HOUSING ON HIGH-RISK FLOOD PLAINS IN WESTERN SYDNEY
|
|
|
|
The NSW Government has announced that it has rezoned parts of the North-West Growth corridor in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley “to ensure NSW does not construct new homes in high-risk areas”. Following an assessment process and review of expert advice on flooding, it has been determined that the proposed rezoning and draft plans for Marsden Park North precinct and Riverstone Town Centre will not proceed. The plans
for the West Schofields precinct will partially proceed, subject to strict conditions. The three projects fall within the Hawkesbury-Nepean
Valley floodplain and were put on hold in 2020 until further flood risk investigations and evacuation modelling were completed. Of the
approximately 12,700 new homes previously proposed, but not approved, under the three rezonings, only up to 2,300 will now proceed. The
Government also released the Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, which informed the rezoning
decisions. A Flood Evacuation Model was developed to better inform decisions on emergency evacuations, land use planning and road upgrades and to assess the risk people face when evacuating, when the impacts of growth and climate change are added in. It provides a detailed overview of how roads cope with evacuation during different size floods, based on different scenarios. The report makes clear that the number of people who will be unable to evacuate the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley increases significantly with potential development and climate change. Minister for Western Sydney, Deputy Premier Prue Car said: “Western Sydney residents have borne the brunt of recent disasters including the pandemic and floods in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley. “By stopping unsafe development in dangerous areas on flood plains, and with our Government’s work to reduce the risk of disasters before they happen, we’re
making sure communities across Western Sydney, in areas including Penrith, Blacktown and Riverstone, are finally supported and better protected.” Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said: “We’ve been clear that we will put an end to unsuitable development on dangerous flood plains which puts lives at risk and destroys livelihoods - this model gives us the technical data needed to make those informed decisions and balance competing priorities.” FMA has long campaigned for sound land use planning to avoid more communities being placed in high-risk areas. In a March 2021 opinion piece published in the Australian, FMA President Ian Dinham said “Floodplain Management Australia advocates better government investment in strategies such as wise land use planning, emergency response and mitigation measures. Let’s not keep approving houses in floodprone
areas and let’s consider allocating funds to reduce flood damage so that we don’t spend so much on repairs and cleanup after each event.” Read
the NSW Government statement at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/risk-reduction-during-floods-hawkesbury-nepean-valley
|
|
INSURANCE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA CAT221 REVIEW
|
|
|
|
As advised in the July FMA Flyer, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) engaged Deloitte to undertake an external review of the insurance industry’s response to the 2022 South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales floods, known as CAT221. The review aimed to identify lessons learned from insurers’ responses to the floods to better prepare and inform responses to future extreme weather
events. As part of the review, FMA was invited by Deloitte to contribute its views and perspectives on the insurance industry’s response to
CAT221. At the August Quarterly Meetings in Brisbane and Sydney Members’ comments were sought on their experiences with the insurance industry, and steps insurers could take to better manage future responses and facilitate faster recovery. The findings and recommendations of the review have been released, and cover catastrophe planning, communication with policyholders, resourcing capability, data capture, modelling and reporting. The report can be accessed at: www.insurancecouncil.com.au/2022FloodReview The ICA will be providing updates at the FMA Meetings in Brisbane on 8 November and Sydney on 16 November.
|
|
STRENGTHENING BUILDING CODE WOULD SAVE $4B A YEAR
|
|
A Centre for International
Economics report released in October by the Insurance Council of Australia has found strengthening the National Construction Code to require that new homes are made more resilient to extreme weather would save an estimated $4 billion a year. The report warns extreme weather costs to homeowners will double by 2050, as events become more severe or frequent because of climate change, highlighting the need for greater action to future proof Australia’s resilience to extreme weather. It found strengthening the National Construction Code to require that new homes are made more resilient to extreme weather could reduce average annual building costs by an estimated
$1.475 billion per year for floods, $2 billion per year for cyclones and $486 million per year for bushfires. Read more in the ICA's
summary report Future Proofing Australia's Resilience and media release.
|
|
FMA 2024 NATIONAL CONFERENCE - CALL FOR ABSTRACTS OPEN
|
|
|
|
The Call for Abstracts for the 2024 FMA National Conference is now open. We are looking for a range of high-quality presentations relating to the Conference theme “Floods in a Changing Climate”, from across Australia and overseas, dealing with
riverine, overland and flash flooding, and coastal inundation. The content can be technical or non-technical to suit our varied audience,
so you don’t need to be a “flood expert” to provide a presentation. The practical experiences of Councillors, flood committee members and community representatives can be of real value to fellow Conference attendees. Tertiary students studying floodplain management or natural disaster management and Young Floodplain Managers are particularly encouraged to participate and share their experiences. The subject of the presentation should align with one or more of the following topic areas: - Modelling and flood data
- Flood prediction and warning
- Managing growth, and land use planning
- Infrastructure projects and asset management
- Flood policy, guidance and best practice
- Emergency preparedness, response and recovery
- Flood case studies and stories
- Environmental aspects, climate change, coastal hazards and adaptation
- New technology and research
- Flood damages and insurance
- Cultural perspectives (Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori)
- Social sciences, human behaviour
and communication.
The closing date for abstract submission is Monday 11 December. The Conference will be held in Brisbane, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre located at Southbank on the Brisbane River, from Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 May, with optional
pre-conference workshops on Tuesday 21 May. For the latest Conference information please see: https://floodplainconference.com
|
|
UPCOMING NOVEMBER FMA MEETINGS - BRISBANE AND SYDNEY
|
|
|
|
BRISBANE FMA QUEENSLAND CHAPTER MEETING AND WORKSHOP Date: Wednesday 8 November, 2023 Place: AECOM Level 8, 540 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane + Online Time: 10:00 Morning Tea for 10:30 Meeting. A light lunch will be available at the conclusion of the meeting. Afternoon Workshop - Community
Resilience in Action Jess Carey, Practice Lead – Flood Resilience, Stantec, will introduce a discussion delving into innovative, successful, and perhaps not so successful, examples of what makes communities better prepared to respond to and recover from flood
events. Please Note: AECOM’s policy and firm commitment to workplace hazards require that you do not attend the event on the day
if you are feeling ill or subject to any government isolation order. Please advise proposed attendance onsite or by Teams, apologies, and any
dietary requirements, to Dominique Evans at projectservices@floods.asn.au. SYDNEY FMA NSW/ACT CHAPTER MEETING AND WORKSHOP Date: Thursday 16 November,
2023 Place: Mercure Hotel, 818-820 George Street, Sydney + Online Time: 10:00 Morning Tea for 10:30 Meeting. A light lunch will be available at the conclusion of the meeting Afternoon Workshop - Department of Planning and Environment Flood Planning Package 2023 Santina Camroux, Director Resilience, and Anja Te Wake, A/Senior Manager, Flooding & Resilience, will be presenting and answering questions on DPE’s Flood Planning Package 2023 which is to be released on 10 November. Please advise proposed attendance onsite or by Teams, apologies, and any dietary requirements, to Dominique Evans at projectservices@floods.asn.au.
|
|
NZ RIVERS CONFERENCE - NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER
|
|
|
|
Registrations for this year’s New Zealand Rivers Group Conference from 8 to 10 November are open, it’s not too late to register! The conference will be held in Nelson, on the South Island’s north coast, with the theme of ‘Living With Urban Rivers’. FMA will be represented at the conference by Queensland Director Will Prentice. For details see: https://www.riversconference2023.co.nz/
|
|
NATIONAL COASTAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL
|
|
The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), based at the University of Tasmania, is proposing a project to better understand and manage implications of climate change for Australia’s coasts. The intent of the program is to provide information that can help improve analyses, decisions and outcomes for communities, government and industry. The proposal may be of relevance to some FMA Members given the links to
events such as floods, tropical storms and storm surges. IMOS Director, Adjunct Professor Michelle Heupel, is interested to hear of any priority
data or information needs that a national research project could help deliver. If you have an interest in this project,
or wish to learn more, please contact Professor Heupel: michelle.heupel@utas.edu.au
|
|
|
MONTHLY YFM FEATURE
|
|
|
|
YFM QLD ran a webinar in October featuring the three FMA YFMs of the Year award winners to-date. The speakers shared their inspirational backgrounds, career paths, and key episodes in their professional growth. It was an excellent opportunity to highlight the “best
of” in YFMs, network, and ask questions in a relaxed environment. For those that missed this event, a recording of the webinar will be released on the FMA website in the near future. YFM QLD is looking to recruit! Don’t look now, but it’s near the end of 2023 already, and it’ll be a busy 2024 - particularly with the FMA conference being hosted in Brisbane! If you are a professional who likes supporting early career floodplain management professionals, no matter your own level of experience, let us know your interest in joining the committee by
emailing yfm@floods.asn.au
|
|
|
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
|
|
FMA New South Wales/ACT Chapter Meeting Dates for 2023
Thursday 16 November - NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting at Sydney
FMA Queensland Chapter Meeting Dates for
2023 Wednesday 8 November - Queensland Chapter Meeting at Brisbane
Joint National Coast to Coast and NSW Coastal Conference 2023
30 October - 3 November - Newcastle, NSW 2023 Rivers Group Conference, Living with Urban Rivers
8 - 10 November - Nelson, New Zealand
|
|
|
POSITIONS VACANT
|
|
|
No Current Vacancies.
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us, please contact us.
Please remember that while we circulate Vacant Positions in this monthly Flyer, sometimes position closing deadlines don't align with the time of its distribution. Make sure you head to floods.asn.au/jobs to check for Vacant Positions that may not be listed here due to shorter closing dates.
|
|
|
TRAVELLING CAPS AND BEANIES
|
|
|
|
Pictured: Vanessa Barnes of NSW SES with her FMA Conference Cap at the Hunter River at Morpeth, while on a Floodplain Tour of Maitland.
|
|
|
|
|
