STORMWAT E R
FLOOD RECOVERY TOOL IMPROVES SEQ RESILIENCE A new flood impact tool was created in early 2022 to aid in South East Queensland's February flood recovery, enabling rapid disaster recovery assessments and applications for affected residents.
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reated by not-for-profit environmental organisation Healthy Land & Water, South East Queensland residents used the online form to upload local information and photos to help the organisation better understand flood impacts to natural areas and project sites. The flood impact tool enabled Healthy Land & Water to build an image of the level of impact in each area and the rectification that may be required even before the flood waters had receded. As a result, the organisation was able to quickly assess the affected areas. Unexpectedly, the tool also started to show that project sites where works had been undertaken fared better during the extreme weather events. This was much-needed good news at a time when the flooding had caused widespread devastation throughout the region, including tragic loss of life and extensive damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and the environment. The tool was needed time and time again over the months that followed, as more extreme rain events caused further damage to already vulnerable sites. The tool clearly showed the environmental impacts of the floods, including erosion, habitat loss, weed dispersal, and the release of harmful pollutants. Queensland’s coastlines were also inundated with ‘white spill’ – tiny polystyrene beads from the breakup of Brisbane River pontoons which came adrift during the floods.
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UTILITY • AUGUST 2022
CREATING A DURABLE REGION The increasingly observable impacts of climate change are set to intensify and become more frequent over the coming decades, which will have widespread implications for Queensland’s environments. The recent flooding events, so close to the devastating fire events in recent years, were a stark and timely reminder that something needs to be done. Many have voiced their frustration, as strategies to help lessen the impact of future floods were identified after the 2011 floods, but have never been actioned. The most recent floods have been a stark reminder that more proactive resilience work is needed throughout the
FLOOD IMPACT TOOL WWW.UTILITYMAGAZINE.COM.AU
