Assoc. Prof. John Minnery

School of Geography Planning & Environmental Management,

The University of Queensland,

Brisbane, Australia

Overview

1. Introduction and Australian Context

2. Priority Challenges

1. Understanding risk

2. Linking research, policy and expertise

3. Built environment

3. Current and Future Strategies1. Understanding risk

2. Linking research, policy and expertise

3. Built environment

4. Summary

1. Introduction and Australian Context

“I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains”

Dorothea Mackellar “Australia”, 1909

Source: The Telegraph 2009 Source: Mail Online 2013

Australia faces a range of natural hazards impacting on urban areas (e.g. severe bushfires where there are dry hot summers; severe flooding with warm wet summers and cyclones)

Australia 87% urban, and most cities on rivers near the coast

Relatively small river catchments so floods from intense, local rainfall and small number of local authorities to coordinate

Brisbane floods, January, 2011 (Courier Mail)

Rainfall near Brisbane January 10th, 2011, for January 2011 floods

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=48521&src=eoa-iotd

Federal system of government Urban flood management State

(and local government) responsibility and no single national urban flood management plan

But national guidelines agreed by the Council of Australian Governments National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (COAG 2011)

Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements funds from National government (up to 75%), rest from States and local governments (Disaster Assist 2013)

Approaches are different in each State – here Queensland and New South Wales

Source: http://www.escapeartist.com/Live_In_Australia/Map_Of_Australia/

Assumptions:

Explore Australian (Queensland) experience that may be useful elsewhere

Climate change: more frequent, more intense events, but on top of the serious floods we now face

National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (COAG 2011) identifies seven priority areas (three especially relevant to managing urban floods):

1. Leading change and coordinating effort between governments, NGOs and businesses

2. Understanding risks: risk assessments with consistent methodologies and data frameworks and good information

3. Communicating with and educating people about risks

4. Linking policy, research and operational expertise

5. Empowering individuals and communities to exercise choice and take responsibility

6. Reducing risks in the built environment: translating knowledge into relevant controls and planning approaches.

7. Supporting capabilities for disaster resilience

2. Priority Challenges

Understanding Risk Knowledge: Mapping of floodplains, modelling floods,

knowing flow characteristics – National Flood Risk Information Program from 2012

Identifying vulnerability and the way it is changing --demographic characteristics and demographic forecasts, mapping infrastructure, using GIS and satellite imagery

Understanding urban growth and change

Communicating risk to communities

Linking Research, Policy and Expertise

Policy actions flow from clear prioritisation (QRA 2011)

Planning for future, linking flood expertise with land use planning expertise

Research on benefits and costs, impacts, effectiveness

Understanding policy on funding priorities .........

For example in PPRR cycle, most attention to ‘response’ and ‘recovery’, not to ‘prevention’ or ‘preparation’

Commonwealth Expenditure on NDRRA vs Mitigation and Resilience (Source: QRA 2012, Figure 7, p. 20)

Built Environment Vulnerability Urban flood management must deal with:

Managing impacts in already vulnerable areas

Reducing impacts on future development

3. Current and Future Strategies

Understanding Risk National Flood Risk Advisory Group made up of all

three levels of government, insurance industry, building regulators, emergency services and researchers

GeoScience Australia mapping and providing national guidelines on flooding (www.ga.gov.au/hazards/flood)

Queensland Reconstruction Authority mapping at local government level to prioritise risk (QRA 2011)

Linking Research, Policy and Expertise

Many researchers (e.g. Biggs 2002; Childs et al. 2010)

Advice based on research (SCARM 2000)

Investigation of recent floods (Queensland Flood

Commission of Inquiry 2011)

Evaluation of past efforts (QRA 2012; Thomas et al. 2011; World

Bank 2011, Molino Stewart 2012)

Estimate of Affected Properties in Charleville With and Without Levee in 2012 (Source: QRA 2012, Figure 6, p. 9)

For example, understanding benefits and costs of actions taken (Charleville levee built in 2005 after 1997 floods)

Charleville levee in 2012 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-04/flood-levee-in-charleville/3811608)

Built Environment: Existing areas Coordination of managing floodplains that affect

urban areas, such as Hawkesbury-Nepean Rivers floodplain management strategy (H-NFMAC 1997)

Building regulations after floods – Brisbane Temporary Planning Instrument allowing houses to be raised

Engineering solutions such as levees (QRA 2012)

Removal of vulnerable communities or houses

Number of examples in NSW in the 19th century (e.g. Gundagai, 1852)(Keys 2008)

Grantham in SEQ in 2011

Now being more openly discussed in Queensland (e.g. North Bundaberg in 2013)

Problems of cost of compensation, plus social costs

Other non-structural solutions (changing land use, etc) (Lord Mayors Task Force on Suburban Flooding 2005)(see also

Andjelkovic 2001)

Built Environment: Future State Planning Policy 1/03 (Queensland) – inclusion of

flood hazards in town planning schemes

Identifying priorities: fit-for-purpose floodplain management (QRA 2011a, b)

National guidelines for disasters but implemented through States

Using NDRRA funds to improve not just replace infrastructure

4. Summary

Challenges: Understanding and communicating risk

Linking flood management to other relevant expertise, such as demography, land use planning

Dealing with existing as well as future urban conditions

Current and future actions:

National funding and guidelines but State initiatives, even for identifying risk

Many research and policy initiatives, but should include better evaluation of past policies and initiatives

Planning for new land development is improving but gap in dealing with existing vulnerable areas

Build a better future not just restore the past

Thank YouJohn Minnery

j.minnery@uq.edu.au

(Courier Mail)

References and Reports

• Andjelkovic, Ivan (2001) Guidelines on non-structural measures in urban flood management, International Hydrological Programme, UNESCO, Paris

• Biggs, Ruth (2012) Paying for disaster recovery: Australia’s NDRRA and the United States’ NFIP, Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 27(2): 26-30.

• Childs, Iraphne, Hastings, Peter, Bajracharya, Bhishna, & Godber, Allison (2010) Policy into Practice: Adoption of Hazard Mitigation Measures by Local Government in Queensland, Institute for Sustainable Resources, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane.

• Council of Australian Governments (2011) National Strategy for Disaster Resilience: Building the resilience of our nation to disasters, Council of Australian Governments, Canberra. Available at http://www.coag.gov.au/node/81 Accessed 27 February, 2013.

• Hawkesbury-Nepean Flood Management Advisory Committee (1997) Achieving a Hawkesbury-Nepean Floodplain Management Strategy, The Committee, Windsor, NSW.

• High Level Officials’ Group (HLOG) (2004) Natural disasters in Australia: Reforming mitigation, relief and recovery arrangements, Report to the Council of Australian Governments, Department of Transport and Regional Services, Canberra.

• Keys, Chas (2008) Making Communities Safer in Times of Flood: The story of the Floodplain Management Authorities of New South Wales, Floodplain Management Authorities of NSW

• Lord Mayor’s Task Force on Suburban Flooding (2005) Strategies to reduce the effect of significant rain events on areas of Brisbane prone to flooding, LMTFSF, Brisbane

• Mail Online (2013) No respite: Australian towns warned they could be under water for more than a week, Available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1342706/Australia-floods-Theodore-Bundaberg-Condamine-water-week.html

• Molino Stewart P/L (2012) Hawkesbury-Nepean Flood Damage Assessment: Final Report for Infrastructure NSW, September 2012. Available at http://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/media/16727/molino_stewart_hn_flood_damages_report_final.pdf

• Disaster Assist (2013) Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, available at http://www.disasterassist.gov.au/FactSheets/Pages/TheNaturalDisasterReliefandRecoveryArrangementsNDRRA.aspx

• Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry (2012) Final Report, Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry, Brisbane. Available at www.floodscommission.qld.gov.au

• Queensland Reconstruction Authority (2011a) Planning for stronger, more resilient floodplains: Part 1 – Interim measures to support floodplain management in existing planning schemes, QRA, Brisbane. Available at www.qldreconstruction.org.au

• Queensland Reconstruction Authority (2011b) Planning for stronger, more resilient floodplains: Part 2 – Measures to support floodplain management in future planning schemes, QRA, Brisbane. Available at www.qldreconstruction.org.au

• Queensland Reconstruction Authority (2012) Mitigation Effectiveness Case Study: Charleville Levee – 2012 flood event, QRA, Brisbane.

• Standing Committee on Agriculture and Resource Management (SCARM) (2000) Floodplain Management in Australia: Best Practice Principles and Guidelines,CSIRO Publishing for Commonwealth of Australia and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, Collingwood, Melbourne.

• The Telegraph (2009) Australian Bushfires: Managing the Deadly Infernos.Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/4558048/Australian-bushfires-Managing-the-deadly-infernos.html

• Thomas, Melanie, King, David, Keogh, Diane U., Apan, Armando & Mushtaq, Shahbaz (2011) Resilience to climate change impacts: A review of flood mitigation policy in Queensland, Australia based on case studies of flood events in 2008, Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 26(1): 8-17.

• UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, World Conference on Disaster Reduction (2005) Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. Available at www.unisdr/wcdr

• World Bank (2011) Queensland Recovery and Reconstruction in the Aftermath of the 2010/2011 Flood Events and Cyclone Yasi, The World Bank Group, Washington DC.