IGEM Report 1: 2017-18 - THE CYCLONE DEBBIE REVIEW

Inspector-General Emergency Management

Banana Shire Council’s Mayor was in regular contact with senior state government representatives, drawing on learnings from the Callide Creek flood of 2015. Commendably, SunWater has expressed a keen desire to continue to be more closely engaged with the likes of Banana Shire Council to ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities and certainty of messaging to the community in particular. Regardless of the capacity of a local council or local group, they possess valuable local knowledge that, when tapped, leads to better community outcomes. Operational planning for an event is founded on an understanding of existing plans, the situation and the risk. We heard from many involved about the uncertainties in this event. The “friction” of disasters – where even the simplest task can be difficult - contributed in part to this: forecasts that changed with time, snippets heard or misheard, multiplicity of communications, ranges of possibilities. Understanding the risks posed by Debbie relied on the effectiveness of storm tide prediction and the reliability of the flood gauge networks. Access to flood mapping data and technical specialists significantly enhanced the capacity of a number of local and district groups to identify at-risk properties and effectively target messaging, doorknocking and evacuation processes. Risk In our review of the State Disaster Management Plan, we emphasised the importance of robust risk-based planning in order to improve shared understanding of priorities for preparation and mitigation. In Queensland, the Queensland Emergency Risk Framework is being rolled out as an example of how to do this. During our review of Debbie, we have found that those local groups who had undertaken robust risk assessments driven by local knowledge of hazards, were far better positioned than those who had not. For example, the Rockhampton flood risk is well known and built into its plans. In parts of South East Queensland, the extent and effects of flood risk appear to have been less well understood, resulting in greater pressure on event planning and operations as the event unfolded.

To better support predictions about flood risk, including flash flooding, Queensland relies on an extensive flood gauge network. It, and other systems, provide information about weather, tides and river flows. The information is then passed to disaster management practitioners and the affected community, and combined with local knowledge to both raise awareness of risk, and support planning. While there has been significant investment in improving the flood gauge systems, several issues emerged during Debbie. These issues related to the number of owners, the range of maintenance regimes, the methods of passing gauge data, and the need for redundancy. Along the Fitzroy River and its tributaries, flood gauges were washed away, leading to delays in the Bureau’s forecast about flood peaks. This prompted the Mayor of Rockhampton to comment, “we need double or triple redundancy for our flood gauges.” In the Lockyer Valley following the 2010 Grantham events the investment in flood gauges and river cameras paid off. Live feeds from these cameras to the council website every 15 minutes allowed local decision-makers and residents alike to monitor changes and take necessary action. Information from the flood gauge network, and its efficient operation and maintenance is vital for disaster management. Recommendation The operation and maintenance of flood gauges should be developed and planned for on a catchment basis. We recognise that there is already a Queensland Flood Risk Coordinating Committee, chaired by QRA, with a role that includes providing advice on all matters relevant to the good management of flood risk. We also note there has been collaborative work, led by QRA, between state agencies and local governments, particularly smaller local governments, that has already led to efficiencies in operations and maintenance in the gauge network.

Themes

Finding The individual plans of stakeholders in the sector are sound. Some are excellent. Stakeholders told us, though, that many are developed in silos. The quality of plans would be enhanced by greater reference to risk and more collaboration.

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The Cyclone Debbie Review

Lessons for delivering value and confidence through trust and empowerment