Case Study: Flooding in Brisbane Australia

There are many natural and human activities that may cause flooding. Natural causes of flooding include hurricanes, storms, and tsunamis. Heavy rainfall is a major cause of flooding in Australia. Human causes include urbanization, mining, pollution and infrastructure. Flooding is caused by many different natural and human activities.

Social Impacts:

·      Puts a strain on the resources of health services

·      Challenges accessing safe drinking water, medicine and hygienic food

·      Spread of diseases and infections

·      Moulds grow in carpets and walls, damp indoor spaces threaten residents and remediation workers

·      Loss of homes

·      Loss of lives

·      Damaged supply lines

·      Causes injuries

·      Physiological impacts on people (losing family, facing harsh events)

Economic Impacts:

·      Demand increases because on limited supply

·      Firefighters, police officers, and other emergency apparatuses costs increased

·      Federal government has to pay for rescue aid

·      Property damage

·      Income for people in poverty

·      Recovery costs

Environmental Impacts:

·      Water and soil contamination

·      Waterways such as rivers and creeks were eroded, contaminated and littered with debris

·      Large number of fish died

·      Distorts the natural balance of ecosystems

·      Damage to ecosystems

·      Forests are destroyed

·      Wildlife is killed

There have been strategic outcomes put together to achieve the vision. The first strategy is adopting a risk-based approach to managing flooding, by understanding the behavior and consequences of flooding across the full range of responsibilities. Developing guidelines to facilitate consistent approaches to flood risk assessment to allow better comparison of various flood risk reduction options across the catchments, incorporate risk-based considerations into the design of infrastructure located in the floodplain, and providing comprehensive flood information are approaches for to do so. Strategy two includes implementing integrated and adaptive approaches to total water-cycle management, including flooding. This can be done so by taking advantage of new technologies and communication modes to help communities prepare for and respond to flooding and by partnering with communities to build a sense of place and flood readiness in homes, neighborhoods, catchments, and the city. Strategy three is smart planning and building. Locating the right land use in the right place by consideration of how development can be designed and sited to tolerate natural hazards for the full range of flood events, ensuring new development is designed and constructed to be more resilient to flooding, planning for rising sea levels, bigger storms tides and heavier rainfall associated with changing climate, and maximizing the efficiency of the city’s disaster response capability by planning for movement of emergency workers, evacuees supplies around the city during floods through improvements to major road networks and location of key land uses are ways to approach this strategy. Strategy four is to become educated and a resilient community. Encouraging households in flood affected areas to better prepare for and respond to flood events by developing household emergency plans, encouraging businesses in flood affected areas to better prepare for and respond to flood events by preparing business continuity plans, promoting awareness of the extremes of weather are ways to approach this strategy. Strategy five is to further develop capacity to respond to and recover from flood events. Maintaining effective mechanisms, plans and processes to efficiently respond to disaster events, maintaining and enhancing solid and enduring relationships with emergency management agencies and not-for-profit organizations for consistent and open communication and collaboration are ways to approach this strategy. Strategy six is maintaining and investing in flood mitigation assets to support the city’s economic growth. Recognizing limited protection afforded by some flood mitigation infrastructure to encourage preparedness for flooding, inspect, assess and maintain existing flood mitigation infrastructure to ensure its continued, effective functioning, and providing new infrastructure as necessary to support the growth and livability of the city are ways to approach this last strategy.