FMA Flyer 2 February

Published: Fri, 03/01/19

FLYER ISSUE 2: FEBRUARY 2019

READ IN BROWSER https://floods.optin.com/newsletter/awlist3776483/MzcwMDk1NQ==/fma-flyer-2-february.htm

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

We have all been horrified at the devastation resulting from the North Queensland floods this month and I can't help but reflect back on the advice from the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities.

In a media release back in March 2015, the Australian Red Cross Director of Australian Services, Noel Clement, said the framework developed by the Australian Business Roundtable in its report entitled The Economic Cost of the Social Impact of Natural Disasters revealed that the true cost of natural disasters was at least 50% greater than previously estimated.

The report found that when social impacts such as mental health issues, family violence, chronic disease and alcohol misuse, are included, the total cost of natural disasters would average $33 billion per year in real terms by 2050.

When we saw images of dead cattle in their thousands, I immediately felt for those people who have suffered years of drought, now being faced with total devastation. This event will have impacts for years and many people will never get over the psychological effects.

Of course the Government support is very welcome but nothing can erase the memories and sheer depression that will haunt people for the rest of their lives.

The flood waters will now flow down to South Australia over coming weeks and bring issues for those in its path. Insurance claims have so far exceeded $800m.

Sadly, there have been some fatalities for this event and we are reminded of the important advice from the SES to avoid driving through floodwaters and to stay away from riverbanks.

All of you involved in floodplain management can be assured that the work you do is extremely important to mitigating the effects of future events such as this.

The flood warnings of the Bureau of Meteorology, the emergency response and the efforts of the emergency services personnel, the studies which identify management strategies, the evacuation plans, the land use planning, and the physical mitigation measures are all important ingredients for managing major floods into the future in Australia.

ID

Ian Dinham | FMA President

EXCELLENCE AWARDS OPEN ON MONDAY

The 2019 Floodplain Management Australia Excellence Awards are opening at 10am Monday, 4 March.

The FMA Excellence Awards publicly recognise the outstanding contribution of FMA organisations and individuals towards promoting wise land use planning, reducing flood impacts, managing flood incidents or restoring communities after a flood event.

The Awards are split into two categories to celebrate both individuals in the industry and specific projects that have been undertaken over the past 12 months.

The FMA-Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year is open to any FMA Member, or member of an FMA Member organisation with the prize including a Full Three-Day Registration to the 2020 FMA Conference in Toowoomba.

The FMA-NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year is open to any FMA Member, with the first prize including $10,000 to be used for a purpose related to FRM or flood risk education and a coveted plenary presentation spot on the final Conference morning.

The winners of the Awards will be announced at the Conference Gala dinner at Old Parliament House, Canberra on Thursday 16 May.

Take this opportunity to recognise the incredible work that you and your colleagues are undertaking in the flood risk management field and nominate for both categories!

Nominations will only be open for a few weeks, so get your entry prepared now so you don't miss out.

Visit floods.org.au/site/ea on Monday to download your nomination forms.

Please note also that Early Conference Registration closes on 22 March.

(Early registration rates can save you up to $200 - based on Full/Corporate/Associate Three-Day Registration).

Register online now at floodplainconference.com.

FMA CANBERRA CONFERENCE UPDATE

There are less than 70 days until the FMA Conference in Canberra begins, but only 21 days until Early Registrations close. Make sure you register now to save on the Conference Rates.

The Conference is shaping up to be an information-packed week, and we are now able to confirm the following field trips:

Field Trip 1 (Long Tour) - ACT Dam Upgrade and Healthy Waterways

Field Trip 2 (Short Tour) - Scrivener Dam

Field Trip 3 (Short Tour) - National GeoScience Australia

Field Trip 4 (Short Tour) - Googong Dam

The field trips fill up quickly, so register now and reserve your spot to avoid missing out.

Sarah Barker, of MinterEllison, will be the keynote speaker for the opening session of the Conference.

Sarah has two decades of experience as a corporate lawyer and is regarded as one of the world's most foremost experts on investment governance issues relating to climate change.

Sarah's presentation is sure to be illuminating and one not to be missed. To find out more about Sarah, visit the Conference website.

For delegates not planning on attending the AGM on the Thursday, a workshop will be held opposite focusing on new and emerging data sources and data collection techniques.

The workshop will be convened by Carrie Dearnley of BMT. If you have experience or case studies applying to the following technologies and are interested in speaking at the workshop, please contact Carrie.

Workshop technologies:

Automated image processing
Crowd-sourced data
Machine learning
Satellite imagery
Real-time data analysis
Government open data
Low cost technology
Movement data (phone and vehicle tracking).

NSW FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT GRANTS

As FMA Members were notified at the recent NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney last week, applications are now open for the 2019-20 Floodplain Management Grants Program from the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage.

Applications can be made for the following independent project stages:

1. Preparation of a flood study

2. Prepare or review floodplain risk management study and plan

3. Investigation, design and completion of a feasibility study for works identified in a floodplain management plan

4. Implementation of actions identified in a floodplain risk management plan, including but not limited to:

structural works
flood warning systems
evacuation management
voluntary purchase or house raising.

During the 2018-19 round of grants, the program awarded funding to 33 projects, totalling over $6.9million.

The funding for program is a joint effort between the NSW Floodplain Management Program and the Floodplain Grants Scheme, and aims to support local government in reducing the risk of flood to their communities.

To find out more information, such as eligibility, guidelines, application forms, past funded projects and reference materials, visit the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage website's flood grants page.

If you have any questions or queries about your applications, please liaise with your local OEH office.

The closing date for applications is 20 March, so get yours in now.

NEW DOPPLER RADARS FOR WESTERN NSW

Image credit NSW DPI

The NSW Government has just announced funding for the construction and operation of three new Doppler Radar Weather Stations.

The funding is estimated at $24.4 million, with the new dopplers being situated in the Brewarrina, Parkes and Hillston-Ivanhoe regions of New South Wales.

Their placement is said to fill gaps in existing radar and weather coverage which is approximately 230,000 square kilometres in size.

With this extra coverage, the NSW Government is aiming to give those in Western and Far Western NSW, such as farmers, rural communities and emergency services more accurate and faster weather information.

For more information on the dopplers, or to find out more about what they do, please visit the NSW Government website.

MOLINO STEWART FLOODPLAIN MANAGER

FMA Corporate Member Molino Stewart publishes a monthly online publication through its website, titled the Floodplain Manager.

Each edition of the Manager is aimed at providing the latest research, data, resources and events in the flood risk management industry.

The Floodplain Manager is an excellent resource for all those involved in, or with an interest in FRM.

If you are not yet receiving it, you can register at the Molino Stewart website.

FEBRUARY QUEENSLAND CHAPTER MEETING IN BRISBANE

Pictured: Caroline Sullivan (SCU) addressing the QLD Chapter Meeting in Brisbane.

Northern FMA Members convened at the AECOM building for the Queensland Chapter Meeting in Brisbane on the 13 February.

The Meeting was an opportunity for FMA to discuss it's recent activities, network with Members and bring to the fore issues and challenges faced during the recent severe weather.

The Meeting was also provided with updates from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, the Bureau of Meterology and Southern Cross University's National Centre for Flood Research.

FMA's Queensland Director Dwayne Honor, led the afternoon Land Use Planning Workshop. He said there is a real need among Local Government for assistance with converting flood study/flood risk management study products to risk based land use planning products.

Over the coming year FMA will support a number of land use planning initiatives, including developing guidelines for risk based planning instruments.

An overview of key planning policies was provided by Shane Spargo and Stephen Smith from the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, and the afternoon wrapped up with Heath Martin from Toowoomba Regional Council providing a comprehensive case study on converting flood hazard to flood risk information, mapping it and applying appropriate land use responses in each category.

The next FMA Meeting will be held at the FMA Conference in Canberra:

FMA Quarterly Meeting and Annual General Meeting, 16 May.

FEBRUARY NSW/ACT CHAPTER MEETING IN SYDNEY

Pictured: Elliot Simmons (NSW SES) convening the afternoon workshop in Sydney.

The recent FMA NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting, held at the Bureau of Meterology, Sydney on the 22 February was one of our most well attended to date.

The Meeting saw FMA Members, Councillors, agency representatives and visitors come together to discuss all things NSW FRM.

Throughout the course of the Meeting, updates were provided by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Bureau of Meteorology, NSW and ACT State Emergency Services, and the Department of Planning and Environment.

Karl Sullivan, General Manger Risk of Insurance Council of Australia also addressed the Meeting, speaking to the recent devastation in Townsville, and the impact on local communities. Around 20,000 claims have been lodged, totalling about $850 million, with 80% for residential damage and 20% for commercial.

The afternoon workshop provided an opportunity to input to development of a public website for Local Government flood data. This must have been the quietest FMA Workshop ever with over 60 participants head down using the PollEverywhere app on their smart devices to respond to questions on what data the site should display, who should be responsible for the data and how the data could be used.

The last question of the day What Should the NSW Flood Map be Called? generated some visionary suggestions, from Discover Floods NSW to the somewhat predictable Floodymcfloodface. We await the final decision with great interest!

Project leader Elliot Simmons, Manager Geospatial Intelligence, NSW SES, said it was very useful to receive feedback directly from FMA Members, which will help design the end product.

RISK FRONTIERS ON THE 2019 TOWNSVILLE FLOOD

FMA Member Risk Frontiers has released its most recent Briefing Note (389), addressing the flooding that occurred through January and February in the Townsville region of Northern Queensland.

The Briefing Note discusses insights from the field as Risk Frontiers and the Insurance Council of Australia visited the region on the 11th and 12th of February, to gather preliminary information on impacts and responses to warnings and to examine initial recovery.

From the Note:

"Almost 3300 properties were damaged, thousands were asked to evacuate and there were widespread blackouts .

The flooding came in waves, with the initial rainfall causing around 30 cm of flooding in the worst affected areas. This subsided somewhat before more rain fell in the catchment, necessitating the release of water from the Ross River Dam, which led to flood depths of up to 1.6 m over floor height..."

To read more indepth investigations of the event from Townsville, read the full Briefing Note at the Risk Frontiers website.

GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPMENT IN FLOOD AFFECTED AREAS

The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning (DELWP) has recently completed Guidelines for Development in Flood Affected Areas to help Victorian floodplain managers assess development proposals consistently.

As stated in the Guidelines,

"Current population projections for Victoria indicate continuing growth in urban areas. This creates pressure to extend development into areas affected by flooding and previously set aside as 'too difficult' to develop."

"Managing this development is important if we are to avoid increasing costs associated with flooding of built up areas".

The Guidelines are intended to promote a consistent approach to decision making, however, floodplain managers have discretion to vary from the Guidelines to accommodate local floodplain management issues.

The Guidelines are available online at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning's website.

THE LATEST ON FMA MEMBERSHIP

This month we welcome some new Professional FMA Members, and in the name of privacy, we don't circulate their names.

However, you know who you are - and welcome! With your addition to the Membership you bring years of expertise and experience and will continue to make Australia's network of flood risk professionals even stronger.

If you are a current FMA Member, or Member of an FMA organisation, did you know that you get discounted registration rates for the FMA Conference, and exclusive access to the most recent Conference papers for the first twelve months after the event?

FMA has over 160 Members across the nation and overseas including Councils, CMAs, government agencies, corporate organisations, professionals, students and retired individuals, and we come together to help make our communities safer from the risk of flood.

If you're not a Member, but would like to join, head to our Membership page of floods.org.au.