Today is the final story in our Flood Readiness - Are We Better Prepared series.

We covered 12 chapters asking key organisations that play a vital role in pre-flood warnings and in the rescue & recovery after a major flood, about how the 2022 floods and Flood Inquiry has changed their disaster procedures and processes, so we know that we will be safer and the recovery quicker when the next unexpected severe weather event hits our city.

Today is a summary of the series.

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Everyone we spoke to was affected more profoundly by the floods of 2022 than any disaster they had seen before. From the impact it made on the emergency rescue effort while the water was high to assisting people and businesses when the water abated and in the recovery efforts that follow. Efficacy and abilities were sorely tested and weak points exposed - it wasn’t taken lightly.

Today, in the final of the series, we will have a look at the findings of the Flood Inquiry and assess what we have been told by the respective organisations. All italicised quotes in this story are taken from Vol 1 of the Executive Summary in the Flood Inquiry Report.

There were a couple of key themes that became apparent as the 1494 submissions to the Flood Inquiry were read;

“Because so much of NSW is prone to natural disasters, there is a need for a renewed and strengthened emphasis on sustained disaster preparedness.” 

“... decision making in the face of uncertainty is another key theme of this report.”

Preparation and agility is what we need when we look to those responsible for our ongoing safety and security.

Critical Information

“Planning for floods must incorporate new methods for understanding how future climate risks may influence rainfall extremes and flooding in high-risk catchments (which themselves are subject to constant change by way of new development or changing land uses), while explicitly reflecting 4 uncertainty. NSW must become a leader in applying new methods that reflect the rapid advances in climate change science, as they become available.”

“To determine the cause of the extreme rainfall events and subsequent flooding, formal scientific process with hypotheses, experimentation, analyses and interpretation is required. This work requires investment in NSW’s and, more generally, Australia’s research capacity and is critical to improving our ability to imagine and predict what may happen in the future, and to enable effective mitigation and adaptation measures in response to changing climate risks.”

“Messaging before and during a flood must draw on real-time rainfall and flood data and intelligence. Messaging must be clear and consistent across the whole of government to ensure that people understand risk in all its dimensions, including vulnerability, capacity, exposure and hazard characteristics, and to empower them to make better decisions in a disaster, particularly around early evacuation.”

The Bureau of Meteorology

“The Bureau provides riverine flood observations, forecasts and warnings to other organisations, such as state and territory governments, water and emergency management agencies, catchment authorities and local councils, who are accountable for interpreting the impacts of responses to that information.” A lot weighs on the success of weather forecasting, and The Bureau is at the forefront of ensuring Australia is forewarned. In NSW, the Bureau has staff embedded in the SES to provide and interpret that information.”

Hazards Near Me App

“The Lismore floods in 2022 and subsequent Inquiry were the catalysts to ensure an app similar to Fires Near Me NSW was developed to show flooding incidents across NSW.” The Hazards Near Me app was an important development to prepare people for dangerous conditions. “The decision was made to integrate flood information into Hazards Near Me as a ‘one-stop shop’ for hazards with significant community impact.”

Australian Warning System

The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience produced a set of icons to be used across Australia to simplify warnings “This platform includes the implementation of the Australian Warning System (AWS), which provides clearer and simpler messages for the community to be prepared and take action where required.”

Dept of Transport

“Transport for NSW (Transport) has made some important changes to the way information reaches a community during a time of emergency or disaster.” Most councils now utilise Live Traffic to monitor road issues, signage has been put in place, and the Australian Warning System iconography used for simplicity in understanding. They play a part in an emergency response, “Transport works closely with NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) on coordinated planning, response and recovery operations.”

Lismore City Council

“The need for land developments to house a growing population has unintentionally yet perversely embedded a ‘rinse and repeat’ approach to floodplain planning – with too much already built, being built or planned to be built in areas exposed to flood risk. This tension between development and safety particularly affects those who cannot afford to live in suburbs out of the floodplain. As a result, the 2022 floods disproportionately affected the most vulnerable.”

Lismore City Council has vastly improved its ability to provide the LGA with up-to-date, accurate information on the recovery and future weather events. The Disaster Dashboard user interface, Flood Alert SMS and Property Flood Mapping provide constituents with vital information to prepare for an emergency or when we face an emergency.

However, there was no mention by Council about current use or ongoing use of the floodplain or flood-prone areas. LCC said, “Councils in NSW adhere to guidelines for developing local flood risk management plans,” however, despite their ability to zone land and approve DAs, they did not mention any changes to areas at risk.

“There needs to be a reset in the way we consider and manage our floodplains. NSW’s floodplains must be recognised as an asset, rather than a nuisance that needs to be contained. With appropriate strategic land use planning, and a return of the floodplain to public ownership over time, we can unlock the value of floodplains whilst ensuring they are safely enjoyed to their full social, environmental, cultural and economic potential.”

SES & RFS

“The Government should look to establish permanent emergency management leadership and decision-making in the form of a permanent State Emergency Management Operations Coordinator (SEOCON) to assist in protecting life and building community confidence. This role is required to improve implementation of emergency management arrangements across the full suite of emergencies, including floods.”

“There also needs to be a cultural shift in the way our first responders and combat agencies prepare for and respond to flood. Despite well-established and sound emergency management arrangements being in place across the state, the 2022 flood events exposed significant capability gaps within the agencies responsible to deliver under these arrangements. This was particularly evident with respect to the operational response, such as flood rescues. Frontline resourcing, capability, coordination and cohesion must be improved through enhanced training and by activating all available resources early – before a disaster escalates.”

The effect of the Flood Inquiry on the SES has been critical to its ability to re-align itself with improved outcomes, “In June 2022, the NSW Government announced a $132.7M investment into NSW SES facilities, resources and staffing. As part of this funding, the NSW SES split its Northern and Western Zones, effectively creating two additional zones to service regional communities.” New staff, training, facilities and assets have been put into place to increase the effectiveness of the SES and RFS that works alongside them.

State Government

“NSW needs a permanent reconstruction agency which begins the reconstruction process as the disaster strikes and thus works to ameliorate community devastation. Better still, it will also provide education and infrastructure before a disaster strikes to minimise its harm.”

State Government has provided a dedicated response team with solutions that are helping resolve current recoveries and has a remit to mitigate future issues - the Reconstruction Authority.

“The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) was established in 2022 to take on responsibility for disaster preparedness and prevention, and for reconstruction and recovery following disasters and other emergencies. The NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 sets out the functions for the new Authority.

“The RA released the nation’s first-ever State Disaster Mitigation Plan in late February and is now progressing Regional Disaster Adaptation Plans for the Northern Rivers.”

The success of the RA is hotly debated. However, it is making large strides towards progress, “760 buyback offers had been approved, and 607 buyback offers had been accepted. More than 370 homeowners in the Northern Rivers are prioritised and are now receiving tailored assessments to make their homes more resilient against flooding.” “...improvements to evacuation routes, upgrading and replacing flood pumps and improving drainage are among a list of 36 projects under the $150 million Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program.”

The devastation remaining after the 2022 Floods is an ongoing, difficult natural hazard to recover from. If you are still struggling and require help, use the Disaster Assistance Finder to access support.

Federal Government 

"These strengthened disaster governance structures must be supported by appropriate teams, systems, and tools, including a Cost-Benefit Analysis Framework developed from the preliminary work undertaken by NSW Treasury.” 

“Further, to drive recovery in the first 100 days after a disaster, a more streamlined and agile response from Government is required, supported by clear transition initiatives in moving from immediate to longer-term recovery phases”

NEMA has outlined some of the things they are doing in response to the damage done in the 2022 Floods, including introducing a Higher-Risk Weather Season National Preparedness Summit, built a National Emergency Management Stockpile, and awarded funding to several organisations for improvements. 

However, in the question of direct funding offered by the government, there remains a problem between promised funding to the region and what has been delivered to date.

Police, Fire + Rescue & Health

“There also needs to be a cultural shift in the way our first responders and combat agencies prepare for and respond to flood. Despite well-established and sound emergency management arrangements being in place across the state, the 2022 flood events exposed significant capability gaps within the agencies responsible to deliver under these arrangements.”

Calling 000

The police relayed information on the increased reliance of the 000 service. “On the 28th February 2022, we received 2500 priority calls. That time of volume had not been experienced before.” There was a problem with people being able to access emergency services using 000 during the floods.

The Telco Authority nominated Telstra as the organisation in charge of operating the 000 service, however, Telstra did not mention any anomalies in its reply to us about issues.  

Ironically, on 30th April,2024 Hon Michelle Rowland MP Minister for Communications, issued a statement in response to the Optus outage last year, in which Optus users weren’t able to access the emergency hotline. A review is planned, which “is the first comprehensive review of the Triple Zero ecosystem in over a decade”. 

Ms Rowland said, “This Review is the most comprehensive examination of the Triple Zero ecosystem in over a decade. It means we have a workable blueprint to implement changes that will help improve the resilience of telecommunications in this country.”

Perhaps it is not in response to the floods, but there is comfort that something is being done.

Police

The police had a “thorough” review post floods “This led to internal structural changes with the creation of a Deputy Commissioner – Emergency Management and additional resources in our Emergency Management Unit. We have increased our training of senior police who undertake the role of Local Emergency Operations Controller who now undertake a specific series of courses that upskill them in all facets of emergency management. Our Police Rescue Unit have also increased their capability with extra personnel and equipment, specifically around flood rescue.” 

The police called in 1500 extra personnel to assist with post-flood issues.

Fire+Rescue

F+R contribute where the SES need them. “FRNSW has trained an additional 200 In-Water rescue technicians since the 2022 flood events.” They have also increased their equipment including 12 inflatable rescue boats.

Health

According to the Department of Health’s report, they have established an Emergency Operations Centre, reviewed their emergency plans, and are taking measures to plan for future emergencies. They brought in extra personnel when needed, and had a team of Disaster Recovery Clinicians to assist with mental health issues post floods.

Essential Energy

Essential Energy's report was packed with figures relating exactly what happened during the floods.  

They were adept at keeping people posted during the floods, and in response to delays. “Since the floods, Essential Energy has turned its attention to the lessons learned and adaptive planning to build a more resilient network to withstand the increase of network events on its assets, while ensuring a safe and reliable supply.”

Essential Energy acknowledged the Flood Inquiries recommendation to minimise disruption to essential services, and has provided a range of solutions which includes, “providing fuel or generators as appropriate to support the community throughout the response”.

Communications

“Enhanced and more resilient essential services are needed. Many telecommunications services were disrupted for extended periods. These disruptions must be minimised to ensure the community can access the information it needs to make appropriate decisions, and to improve combat agency flood response capability – especially in regional areas. This includes moving critical infrastructure off the floodplain, improving power backup arrangements and delivering a consolidated state disaster app for mobile devices.” 

Communication companies have been provided large sums of money to ensure communication networks are as effective as possible and alternative sources are made available. Telstra, Optus, and TPG Telecom acknowledge that alternative, transportable communication devices exist, but it is difficult to find out how many or what the sourcing details are.

We were not provided with specifics on just how many people were affected then and what has been done to minimise that impact in the future. It is in the best interest of our communities for communication companies to be more transparent when it comes to declaring their efforts in times of need.

TPG Telecom was the most forward in supplying information and is exploring new technologies to keep us aware of what weather patterns around us are doing quicker and utilising infrastructure that we are already putting in place. 

Telstra also talked about technology that they were developing. Some were using an international communications network; however, much of the information was over 7 months old with no updates.

Animals

Animals have seemingly been “promoted” in recent events. From more domestic needs and requiring specialist accommodation in evacuation centres, to providing them with urgent food supplies and medical treatments during recovery. 

Wildlife is being included. A subplan under the NSW State Emergency Management Plan, the Wildlife in Emergencies Sub Plan is being developed to manage any “emergency affecting wildlife in NSW.”

The community - charities and you

“Despite (or because of) these capability gaps, community-led flood rescues, particularly in the Northern Rivers region, worked extremely well under the circumstances. Without such rescues, there would have been significantly higher loss of life, and the Inquiry commends these community efforts."

"Government needs to harness, celebrate, and empower safe and coordinated community-led initiatives, not only for rescues but also for evacuation support and the provision of services, including first aid and charitable donations.”

Charities have learned some important lessons in the 2022 floods. Where not to have their headquarters is one, and not to extend your capabilities too far is another. Some have made a lot of changes, and some are content to take things in their stride, sticking to a tried and true path, just scaling when the need arises.  

One area that has caught the attention of officials is the adaptability of spontaneous volunteers, or people coming out from everywhere to help in the advent of an emergency. The re-emergence and strengthening of Community Resilience Networks, or CRNs, means there will be a dedicated merging between individual efforts with official coordination of resources in the event of an emergency.

“an important component of preparedness is at a personal or family level. Failure to prepare at this level makes preparations at other levels more difficult and expensive.” 

Individuals are able to implement most of the safety precautions they need. Speaking to the SES at the time, about the amount of assistance needed in the first flood at the end of February in 2022 and the flood at the end of March 2022, showed a marked decline in reliance on their services. In February, people were completely taken by surprise at what the water levels were and how quickly they rose. The latter was like a rehearsed performance, with people having a greater depth of understanding, what to expect and how to ensure their own preparation was sufficient.

Preparation and agility are what we are looking for in the future. Varying degrees of both were shown over the last two years; some organisations did not need or want to change much, but others, understanding their responsibility and/or desire to ensure their reputation, have displayed the need for more. In the balance, we are far better prepared for an unexpected future, as a community.

Individually, realistic self reflection on your requirements will allow you to prepare for situations adequately, and provide you with agility to make changes if and when you need to. There are many services available from Council, charities and the imminent Reconstruction Authorities "Get Ready" plan that will assist you. For fine tuning that assistance, speak to family, friends and other support networks to ensure you are comfortable with your tailored safety plan.

“Success relies on implementation of this report’s recommendations, though the Inquiry notes that full implementation will not and cannot be the panacea for all disasters and should not engender complacency. Enhanced disaster preparedness will not mean the emergency management response required is any less complicated.”

Do you think that the flood level will ever get that high again? 

In essence, we can assess risk, we can look for signs and do as much as possible to mitigate potential issues. But if that fails, it’s the lessons we learn and how we choose to act upon them that make the difference.

“Disasters, by their very nature, will always be difficult, and we cannot predict or model our way out of them. We can ensure our emergency management processes embed the requirement for continual learning and improvement for the next disaster response.”

Other stories in this series includes:

Part 1: Essential Energy 

Part 2: Communications - Telstra and Optus

Part 2: Communications - TPG Telecom and nbn

Part 3: Police and Fire + Rescue

Part 4: Critical Flood Information

Part 5: Animals

Part 6: Federal Government

Part 7: Charities

Part 8: Local Government

Part 9: SES / RFS 

Part 10: Health

Part 11: State Government / RA

Part 12: You