The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry has published its first interim report, containing a number of recommendations for local governments.

 

The list of recommendations for local government include:

  • Councils should prepare SMS alert templates covering a range of different flood scenarios before the wet season. The SMSs should direct recipients to websites or contact numbers to provide more detailed information about flood locations and predications
  • Councils should ensure that residents are aware of the frequency of the radio station or stations in their local area that will disseminate flood warnings and other information during disasters.
  • Councils that have not already done so should consider how social media may be used effectively to provide accurate information about flood levels and local conditions to residents during a flood event.
  • Councils, with the assistance of the Bureau of Meteorology, should examine the feasibility of and priorities for installing additional river height and rainfall gauges in areas of identified need.
  • Local governments should consider adopting uniform disaster management software, to enable inter-council assistance to be given more easily and effectively.
  • To ensure effective co-ordination in larger-scale disasters, deployment of personnel (and other resources) between local governments should be facilitated through the Council to Council (C2C) program.

 

The full report, including the complete list of recommendations, can be downloaded from the QFCI website here