Brisbane City Council
Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10:
Inundation Sub-plan
2015
Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
Overview
This Brisbane City Council (Council) Inundation Sub-plan has been prepared as the parent
document for the following threats:

River Flood

Storm Surge

Creek Flood

Local Flooding
The inundation sub-plan is an operational plan of the Brisbane City Council Local Disaster
Management Plan and has been endorsed by the Brisbane City Local Disaster Management
Group (Brisbane LDMG).
References
Table 1 summarises a comprehensive list of related documents that provide authority for
Council’s Inundation Sub-plan.
Table 1 - Inundation Sub-plan Reference List
References
1.
The Queensland Disaster Management Act 2003, current approved edition
2.
Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan, current approved edition
3.
Disaster Management Planning Guidelines
4.
Queensland Local Disaster Management Guidelines, September 2012
5.
Australian Emergency Manual Series – Manual 19 – Managing the Floodplain
6.
Australian Emergency Manual Series – Manual 20 – Flood Preparedness
7.
Australian Emergency Manual Series – Manual 21 – Flood Warning
8.
Australian Emergency Manual Series – Manual 22 – Flood Response
9.
Australian Emergency Management Handbook Series – Handbook 7 – Managing the
floodplain – a guide to best practice in flood risk management in Australia
10.
State Planning Policy
11.
Brisbane Incident Management System (BIMS)
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BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL LOCAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
CHAPTER 10 – INUNDATION SUB-PLAN 2015
Table of Contents
Overview ............................................................................................................................... I
References ........................................................................................................................... I
Table 1 - Inundation Sub-plan Reference List ..................................................................... i
1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Audience ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Custodian .................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Scope .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.4 Inundation Events........................................................................................................ 1
1.5 Key Assumptions......................................................................................................... 2
2.0 Planning Principles ................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Mission ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Effects ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Critical Vulnerabilities .................................................................................................. 3
2.4 Critical Success Components ...................................................................................... 4
2.5 Critical Information Requirements ............................................................................... 4
2.6 General Outline ........................................................................................................... 4
3.0 Roles and Responsibilities ....................................................................................... 6
3.1 Preparation.................................................................................................................. 6
3.2 Response .................................................................................................................... 6
3.3 Recovery ..................................................................................................................... 7
3.4 Objectives ................................................................................................................... 7
3.5 Priorities ...................................................................................................................... 8
3.6 Key Decision Points .................................................................................................... 8
3.7 Evacuation Process ..................................................................................................... 8
4.0 Management .............................................................................................................. 9
4.1 General ....................................................................................................................... 9
4.2 Control ........................................................................................................................ 9
4.3 Coordination ................................................................................................................ 9
4.4 Council Business Units and External Agencies............................................................ 9
5.0 Communications ..................................................................................................... 11
5.1 Public Information...................................................................................................... 11
5.2 Preparation................................................................................................................ 11
5.3 Response .................................................................................................................. 11
5.4 Recovery ................................................................................................................... 11
5.5 Critical Infrastructure ................................................................................................. 11
Appendix 1 – Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................... 12
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
1.0 Introduction
Brisbane has a history of floods and being exposed to severe weather events resulting in
river flood, tidal flooding (including storm surge), creek flooding and local flooding
(collectively referred to as inundation events). Chapter 1 of Council’s Local Disaster
Management Plan (LDMP) contains a risk assessment of event types, including inundation,
and an assessment of their likelihood and relative consequences.
There is an extensive amount of general and technical reference material available on
inundation events that have affected the Brisbane region. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)
has chronicled the major flood events to affect the region since 1824. Refer to the Inundation
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for further detail (this is an internal document and is
available on BIMS Online and in TRIM container 109/555/14/620 or through the Disaster
Management Office).
1.1
Audience
This sub-plan has been prepared for Council, the Lord Mayor, Brisbane LDMG, Council
Business Units, and key external stakeholders.
1.2
Custodian
The MDMO, on behalf of Council, is the custodian of this sub-plan. The custodian has the
responsibility for implementing, evaluating, testing, reviewing and updating this sub-plan.
The custodian is also to ensure proper quality, security, integrity, consistency, privacy,
confidentiality and accessibility of the sub-plan.
The Custodian’s contact details are:
Title:
Manager, Disaster Management Office
Contact: +61 7 3403 8888
1.3
Scope
This Inundation Sub-plan covers the preparation, response and recovery actions associated
with inundation events. For the purpose of this plan, inundation events include:

River Flood;

Tidal – Storm surge/Storm tide and higher than normal high tides;

Creek Flood; and

Local Flooding.
Preparation, response and recovery will be the focus of this Inundation Sub-plan. It has been
assessed that prevention measures, in particular flood mitigation preventative measures
(such as critical infrastructure works or amendment to the City Plan development guidelines)
are outside the scope of this plan.
It is acknowledged that preparation, response and recovery are integrated aspects for the
management of inundation events. While not separate or discrete phases in themselves they
do assist in articulating a logical event management construct that forms the basis for
planning. Importantly, preparation, response and recovery actions are overlapping.
1.4
Inundation Events
Council’s response to inundation events will vary depending on the type and level of event –
see Chapter 1 for an outline of Council’s disaster management arrangements.
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
1.5
Key Assumptions
The key assumptions associated with this plan are:

The Local Disaster Coordination Centre (LDCC) will be activated in accordance
with Council’s Disaster Management arrangements;

BoM will provide a timely and accurate inundation warning for riverine flooding or
severe weather warning;

All stakeholder agencies and Council business units have in place effective
operational plans, business continuity plans, redundancy plans and standard
operating procedures that enable them to effectively respond in support of this
plan;

All stakeholder agencies and Council business units have sufficient trained,
equipped and available personnel to perform the roles and responsibilities
identified in the plan;

The State, District and Local disaster management arrangements are able to be
activated in accordance with the Disaster Management Act 2003;

This Inundation Sub-plan is applicable to Brisbane’s existing flood risk and
residual (continuing) flood risk. It does not consider future flood risk;

Existing Council resources and key infrastructure will be maintained and working
to their maximum efficiency; and

Crisis Communications
Communications SOP.
networks
have
been
established
–
see
Crisis
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
2.0 Planning Principles
The key principles for inundation event management include:
2.1

Decentralised control: The responsibility for initial response and recovery actions
rests at the local level until ‘overwhelmed’;

Centralised coordination: The deployment and coordination of resources to
ensure that the right resources are at the right place at the right time is most
effectively undertaken centrally through the LDCC;

Business continuity: Business units should maintain their ‘normal’ functions
during an inundation event. They should protect their staff/assets/systems,
maintain ‘normal’ services if possible, repair services where necessary and
facilitate recovery to ‘normal’ levels of services;

Information: Timely, accurate and relevant information is critical in preparing and
responding to inundation events. This includes warnings and information from the
BoM, Flood Information Centre (FIC) and Council business units, as well as the
provision of information and warnings to the public; and

Self Help: The community and businesses must assume responsibility to help
themselves in order to be able to prepare, respond and recover from an inundation
event, particularly if isolated.
Mission
Council’s mission during an inundation event is to coordinate the deployment of internal and
external resources to reduce or eliminate potential loss of life or property and restore preinundation services as quickly as possible.
Council will achieve this outcome by working closely with other external agencies and
organisations (such as public, commercial and non-government organisations) to maintain
critical services and effective communication while simultaneously deploying and
coordinating appropriate resources to assist the community with combating the event.
2.2
Effects
Council will strive to achieve the following desired effects during an inundation event:

Enhance community and corporate resilience;
o

Maintain Council business continuity; and
o
2.3
Support the community and business sector to recover from the event;
Maintain and/or restore Council services as quickly as possible to pre-event
levels.
Critical Vulnerabilities
The critical vulnerabilities during an inundation event include isolation, access routes and
water transport.
Isolation: It is anticipated that during an inundation event people and assets will be isolated
for a period of time. During a river flood it is likely that cross-river movement will be limited
and restricted to existing major crossing points – such as the Gateway, Story and Walter
Taylor bridges. At the local level, some areas of the community may be isolated and ‘cut off’
from support resources. The Isolated Communities Sub-plan outlines the use of Community
Support Centres by local communities that may become isolated.
Access routes: It is anticipated that vehicle access to isolated areas and evacuation
centres will be limited. This will impact the provision of support to the community, Council
core functions and the community’s ability to help itself.
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
Water transport: Council does not have a dedicated fleet of suitable water craft to support
water transport during a significant inundation event.
2.4
Critical Success Components
The critical components of ‘success’ during an inundation event are:
2.5

Preparation: Thorough preparation: inform, educate, plan, train, exercise,
rehearse and assess;

Information: Timely and accurate information to the public. Support community
and corporate resilience;

Coordination: Coordinated response and recovery actions;

Communication and Liaison: Communication and liaison between and within
support agencies at all levels; and

Community Resilience: Community support and education.
Critical Information Requirements
The critical information requirements to support the effective management of an inundation
event include the following:
Event focus:


When and where will inundation occur?
When and where will the inundation affect critical infrastructure, residential
property and access routes?
When and what areas will be isolated?
Who needs to be advised?


Resource focus:

What resources are available to manage the inundation?
o
o
o
o

What resources will be required to be relocated?
o
o
o
o

Type
Location
Time required to relocate
Support required to relocate
What resources will be required to support evacuation?
o
o
o
o
2.6
Type
Location
Capacity
Time required to respond
Type
Location
Capacity
Time required to respond
General Outline
Brisbane’s inundation events will be combated through a coordinated approach leveraging:

Council’s All Hazards Brisbane Ready for Summer Campaign to prepare the
community;

the Flood Information Centre (FIC) to provide detailed real-time event data; and

Council’s disaster management structure to coordinate the deployment of internal
assets and resources.
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
This plan integrates all aspects of its current preventative and preparation measures with
planned response and recovery actions. The critical capabilities that Council will leverage to
manage inundation events are its preparation of the community, the provision of timely and
accurate information, and the coordination of support agencies through the Brisbane LDMG,
Recovery Committees and the LDCC.
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
Council’s key roles during an inundation event are:
3.1

Coordination of resources: The preparation, deployment and coordination of
internal and external resources; and

Provision of accurate and timely information: Receiving timely and accurate
warnings from the BoM and FIC. Providing timely and accurate warnings and
updates to the public.
Preparation
Council will prepare for inundation events through a combination of the following key
activities:
3.2

Implementation of the recommendations from the Lord Mayor’s Taskforce on
Suburban Flooding, the Flood Response and Review Board and the Queensland
Commission of Inquiry;

Community engagement, education and awareness programs such as the “Be
Prepared” campaign;

Provision of flood information to the public e.g. FloodWise Property Reports, Flood
Awareness Maps and Council’s Early Warning Alert Service;

The development and maintenance of detailed inundation threat specific plans that
are supported by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Business Continuity
Plans;

The development of detailed river flood models including supporting Spatial
Information Services (SIS) and the FIC;

The development of web-based, real-time inundation information, using tools such
as the Brisbane River Flood Forecast Reporting System (BRFFRS) and
FloodWise to provide real-time flood levels for properties;

Monitoring of warnings from the BoM;

Maintenance and monitoring of river and creek telemetry gauges; and

The design, development and conduct of individual training, collective interagency
exercises and rehearsals for combating inundation events. This will include an
assessment regime to test and improve Council’s capacity to manage inundation
events.
Response
Council’s response to an inundation event will depend on the type and level of event. In
general the key activities will include the following:

Initial response actions rest at the local level within Council;

The centralisation of control measures to ensure that the right resources are at the
right place at the right time;

Council business units maintain their ‘normal’ functions by protecting their
staff/assets/systems, repairing services as required and recovering to ‘normal’
levels of service as quickly as possible; and

The provision of timely and accurate information including warnings and
information from the BoM and FIC as well as the provision of information and
warnings to the public.
Developing community and business resilience so that people are aware they can help
themselves respond to an inundation event. During isolation, a planned and coordinated
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
local community response is paramount to ensure the community remains resilient to the
consequences and impact of being isolated.
3.3
Recovery
Council’s support of recovery from an inundation event will depend on the type and level of
event. The key aspects of recovery activities include the following:

Recovery will be coordinated through Council’s Recovery Committees;

Recovery actions are outlined in Council’s Local Disaster Management Plan; and

Council’s key control, coordination, communication and information roles during
the recovery from an inundation event will include:
o
A needs assessment;
o
Resources management;
o
3.4

Physical resource management;

Human resource management; and
Information and communications management.
Objectives
During an inundation event, with the support of key stakeholders, Council’s objectives are to:
Reduce or eliminate potential loss of life by:

Providing effective warnings and flood information;

Supporting timely and efficient evacuation operations; and

Supporting rescue operations (State Emergency Service [SES], Queensland Fire
and Emergency Services [QFES], Queensland Ambulance Service [QAS]).
Provide care and comfort to evacuated, injured, confused, homeless people by:

Coordinating rescue operations (SES, QFES, QAS);

Providing support to isolated communities in the Brisbane area; and

Establishing evacuation centres as required.
Minimise or eliminate potential loss of property/critical infrastructure wherever
possible by:

Protection; and/or

Relocation.
Assist in the restoration of critical utilities and services to full capacity, including:

Health (State – hospitals, ambulance);

Water;

Electricity;

Gas;

Telecommunications; and

Transport.
Establish and maintain effective operational and general level communications by:

Establishing and operating both tactical and operational level emergency
communications networks; and
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015

Regular dissemination of flood data and evacuation information to the press and
the public via the Crisis Communications team in the LDCC.
Maximise community confidence and self-help by:

Shaping community expectations of self-help;

Encouraging reduction of personal exposure to risk by adequate planning (e.g.
prepare for the worst, early voluntary evacuation, shelter in place, avoid
sightseeing); and

Supporting able-bodied members of the community to support and assist those in
need where possible.
Restore pre-inundation services as quickly as possible by:

Restoring access to essential services (road, telecommunications);

Minimising time for recovery – return to the provision of ‘normal’ services;

Minimising time to restore Council services; and

Minimising long-term economic and environmental impact.
3.5
Priorities
Council’s priorities during an inundation event are to:
3.6

Protect life and minimise injury;

Protect property and assets;

Provide accurate and timely public information; and

Restore pre-inundation services as quickly as possible.
Key Decision Points
The key decision points for an inundation event are detailed in the Inundation SOP.
3.7
Evacuation Process
The decision by the Brisbane LDMG to request the District Disaster Coordinator (DDC) to
authorise an evacuation is a key decision point for Council’s inundation planning.
The evacuation procedure is outlined in the Evacuation SOP, which is an internal document
located on BIMS Online.
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
4.0 Management
4.1
General
Inundation event management (control, coordination and the passage of information) is
aligned to the management of other disaster events. The critical difference is the scale of
impact, the need for timely evacuation planning, the need to pre-position critical resources
(for protection and future utilisation), the impact on service delivery and the extended period
for economic recovery. Refer to the Evacuation Sub-plan in Chapter 4 of the Local Disaster
Management Plan and also to the Inundation SOP, which illustrates the key control,
coordination and flow of information requirements during a significant inundation event.
Clearly, not all agencies and response elements will be ‘stood up’ during local or creek
flooding. In simple terms the Brisbane LDMG provides direction, the LDCC coordinates the
deployment of resources and business units and external agencies undertake actions
(deploy resources to support LDCC).
4.2
Control
The control of an inundation event will be through the Local Disaster Coordination Cetre
under the control of the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG). The Brisbane LDMG
will set policy and priorities and provide direction to Council to manage inundation events.
4.3
Coordination
The LDCC is the focal point for coordinating the deployment of resources to manage an
inundation event. Critical to LDCC functions is the information provided by the FIC, Spatial
Information Services (SIS), Network Coordination Centre, Brisbane Metropolitan Transport
Management Centre (BMTMC) and the Contact Centre. The LDCC will fuse information from
different sources to plan and execute the timely and coordinated deployment of resources to
achieve the LDMG’s direction and priorities. The LDCC will also be the focal point for
communication with Council business units, the community and external agencies and will
develop messages for release to the media through the Lord Mayor’s Office.
Full details on the operations of the LDCC can be found in BIMS Online to users with
appropriate access.
4.4
Council Business Units and External Agencies
Council business units and external agencies will deploy resources coordinated through the
LDCC.
Internal business units and external agencies involved with response and recovery from
inundation events include (but are not limited to):
Internal

Local Disaster Management Group (strategic coordination of the event, prioritisation)

Local Disaster Coordination Centre (operational coordination of the event)

Flood Information Centre (manages operational queries and requests relating to
flooding)

Infrastructure Recovery Committee (committee for infrastructure recovery made up of
internal and external agencies)

Community Recovery Committee (committee for community recovery made up of
internal & external agencies)

Disaster Management Office (coordinate the establishment of the LDCC, liaison &
disaster management advice)
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015

Brisbane Infrastructure: Asset Management (maintenance of storm water), BMTMC
(manage traffic congestion, provide road travel advice and safety messaging), Field
Services Group (maintenance of assets such as the road network, traffic
management assets, bridges, tunnels and community buildings)

Organisational Services: Crisis Communications Team (public and media messaging,
media monitoring), Strategic Procurement (coordination of contractual
arrangements), Corporate Finance (managing finances)

Information Services Branch: (maintenance of Council’s IT systems)

Spatial Information Services: (event mapping)

Brisbane Lifestyle: Compliance and Regulatory Services (animal management),
Contact Centre (public information)

Brisbane Transport: (passenger transport)

City Waste Services: (waste collection)
External

Bureau of Meteorology (meteorological prediction, mapping and warnings)

SEQ Water (dam management)

Queensland Police Service (QPS) (public safety, traffic management, public
evacuation)

QFES (swift water rescue, rapid damage assessment)

Australian Red Cross (evacuation centre management)

Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (human social
recovery/ outreach)

Energex (electricity)

Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (environmental monitoring)

Queensland Health (public health advice)

SES (rescue operations, support evacuations, sandbagging and debris removal)

Queensland Urban Utilities (manage and maintain sewage operations and water
quality)
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
5.0 Communications
Communications include:

Public information;

Communication with Council staff and external stakeholders to support response
actions; and

Media.
Timely and accurate information is critical to success during an inundation event. More
information on Crisis Communications can be found in the Crisis Communications SOP on
BIMS Online.
5.1
Public Information
The key messages for an inundation event will vary between phases. Key messages for
each phase are outlined as follows:
5.2
Preparation
A key tool in preparing the Brisbane community is Council’s Brisbane All Hazards Ready for
Summer Campaign. The All Hazards Brisbane Ready for Summer Campaign raises
awareness of the risks associated with living in a subtropical climate and encourages
residents to take action through preparation and use of Council’s tools and services.
5.3
Response
The key messages to be communicated to the public during an inundation event may
include:
5.4

What: What actions to take during the event including protection of life and
property and possible evacuation. What impact the event will have on Council’s
services, for example buses and ferries. Details of evacuations. Endeavour to
engender a sense of community self help as well as prepare for potential isolation.
Likely levels of flooding.

When: The likely timeframe of the inundation event.

Where: Areas likely to be impacted (residential, commercial, roads, crossings,
bridges). Where to find support. Where to get more information.

How: How to find out more information.

Who: Who to contact for specific services e.g. Council, SES etc.
Recovery
The key messages to be communicated to the public following an event may include:
5.5

What: What impact the event has had on the city. What actions to take during the
recovery. What actions Council (and other agencies) are taking.

When: The likely timeframe for the recovery of Council services. Endeavour to
engender a sense of community patience.

Where: Areas that have been impacted (residential, commercial, roads, crossings,
bridges) and ‘no go’ areas. Where to find support.

How: How to find out more information.
Critical Infrastructure
Council and key external stakeholders will maintain, protect, repair and recover (within their
means) infrastructure that is critical to the City.
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Brisbane City Council Local Disaster Management Plan
Chapter 10 – Inundation Sub-plan 2015
Appendix 1 – Acronyms and Abbreviations
BIMS
Brisbane Incident Management System
BMTMC
Brisbane
Centre
BoM
Bureau of Meteorology
Brisbane LDMG
Brisbane City Local Disaster Management Group
BRFFRS
Brisbane River Flood Forecast Reporting System
Council
Brisbane City Council
DDC
District Disaster Coordinator
DDMG
District Disaster Management Group
FIC
Flood Information Centre
LDC
Local Disaster Coordinator
LDCC
Local Disaster Coordination Centre
LDMP
Local Disaster Management Plan
MDMO
Manager, Disaster Management Office
QAS
Queensland Ambulance Service
QFES
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
QPS
Queensland Police Service
SES
State Emergency Service
SIS
Spatial Information Services
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure
Metropolitan
Transport
Management
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