disaster plan

Hazards

State legislation the Disaster Management Act 2003, sets out the functions of local government, states that Council
must have a local disaster management plan, and requires the local government to appoint a Local Disaster
Coordinator. The local Disaster Management Plan sets out the stages and levels of activation for the local disaster
management group. These will be used as the basis for action to ensure the safety of users on the site.

Typical of all catchments in the area where the upstream catchment is relatively small, it is considered the provision
of suitable flood refuge onsite within the buildings would be the preferred risk management measure, as opposed
to evacuating the area to a formal evacuation centre. The application of a flood refuge is recommended in similar
circumstances as means to address flood risk and potential burden by Gold Coast City Council (GCCC), who have
large amount of flood plain on which developments are managed. The Guideline developed by GCCC states “a
shelter-in-place approach” provides an opportunity to address the risks of isolation and subsequent risk to life and
potential burden to emergency services.



Shelter-in-place

Shelter-in-place is defined as finding a safe location indoors, seeking immediate shelter and staying there during a
flood emergency event until the threat is removed, rather than evacuating the area to an alternative safe refuge.