2016-07-18 General Committee Meeting - Item 3 - Attachment 1 - Flood Management Plan

In addition to the interpretation of real-time information     At least three officers in Council should possess this overall




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staff would be expected to be capable of effectively           understanding. It is recommended that to provide relevant




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communicating an accurate interpretation to the                officers with these understandings the flood specific




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stakeholders of a disaster coordination centre. The            procedures be documented in a simple guideline.




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organisation should have 4 trained officers who can
provide interpretation of real-time flood information via      10.3 Community Awareness
monitoring software such as BoM’s Enviromon or other
accessible sources.                                            It is generally accepted that a community’s resilience to
                                                               flooding can be significantly improved, in lieu of flood
It is also recommended that officers actively participate      mitigation, via improved community awareness. Improved
in disaster management training exercises to familiarise       community awareness of potential flooding conditions can
themselves with the protocols and expectations of a            improve preparedness, reduce loss and avoid inappropriate
disaster coordination centre. Flood-specific training could    actions during a flood event that may expose residents to
be conducted independently of other broader disaster           further risk. A dedicated community awareness program aims
management training opportunities to further refine            to promote awareness of flood risks and strategies to manage
specific flooding related skills.                              or minimise these risks. For instance, initiatives could include
                                                               awareness for drivers attempting flooded crossings.
10.2.2    Overall understanding of flood specific
          procedures                                           Council’s website includes some general information
                                                               related to promoting an awareness of flooding. The
In addition to possessing a basic technical competency in      website includes a brief description of types of flooding
hydrologic concepts and a general understanding of local       and references to a variety of flood mapping resources
disaster management practices, it is also recommended that     including river and storm maps and flood specific layers
relevant officers possess an overall understanding of their    displayed within Council’s Interactive Mapping portal.
role and flooding specific procedures/services expected
                                                               The organisation periodically promotes flood related
to be provided during a flood event. This may include
                                                               services and messages to the community. It is recommended
confirming an understanding of: how to prepare a situation
                                                               the organisation to undertake a dedicated community
report; the frequency expected to provide advice; the format
                                                               awareness program at least every two years.
of the advice provided; the sources of reference to inform
advice; and knowing who to provide the advice to.
                                                               10.4 Flood Mitigation
                                                               Flood mitigation represents an infrastructure response to
                                                               improving community flood resilience. As with all capital
                                                               works programs, the delivery of flood mitigation requires
                                                               long term planning and prioritisation. Prioritisation of
                                                               mitigation options and investment may be influenced by
                                                               considering who the main beneficiaries of the works are and
                                                               how the works are to be funded. Flood mitigation works may
                                                               include upgrades to culverts, bridges and road elevations to
                                                               improve the flood immunity of a roadway or to improve the
                                                               conveyance of flood waters and reduce the potential for flood
                                                               waters to back up and cause damage or nuisance.




                                                                                    Noosa Council | Flood Management Plan | Page 36