IGEM Report 1: 2017-18 - THE CYCLONE DEBBIE REVIEW

The Cyclone Debbie Review

Access to council flood mapping data and technical specialists significantly enhanced the capacity of a number of local and district groups to identify at-risk properties and effectively target messaging, door- knocking and evacuation processes. The investment in flood gauges and river cameras in the Lockyer Valley enabled greater knowledge of unfolding events locally, with live feeds from the cameras to the council website every 15 minutes enabling residents to also monitor changes. Traffic to their website peaked at 8000 hits at the height of the event. By early Thursday evening, flash flooding was occurring on the Gold Coast with areas in the hinterland being isolated by road. 53 In the 24 hour period from 9.00am Thursday 30 March, Springbrook and the Scenic Rim experienced rainfall exceeding 600mm. 54 By 11.40pm on Thursday 30 March, the Bureau had issued a major flood warning for the Albert River, reporting record major flood levels at Beaudesert on the Logan River and asking media to broadcast the Standard Emergency Warning Signal. 55

The rain caused unprecedented demands on the QLDTraffic website, which was unable to keep up with the number of roads that were flooded or unsafe. The ability to locally monitor roads using CCTV enabled the City of Gold Coast to supplement information on road closures on the council website. While no evacuation centres were needed on the Gold Coast, the extended opening of council libraries provided a comfortable and “safer space” for the community where they could also access up-to-date information. By late evening on Thursday 30 March, increased severity flood warnings for rapid rises and major flooding in the Albert and Logan rivers were being issued by the Bureau for the Redland, Gold Coast, Scenic Rim and Logan councils. 56 EA messages followed the next morning, for Scenic Rim at around 1.00am, for parts of Logan around Eagleby around 7.00am, and for the Gold Coast around 8.40am.

The three concurrent events

North Queensland

State-level operations

Central Queensland

South East Queensland

Date

South East Queensland

1.00am • EA for scenic rim Early hours • Houses and properties along Albert River inundated 5.30am • Logan River peaked at 14.76m at Beaudesert (and again at 1.30pm) 7.00am • EA for parts of Logan around Eagleby 8.40am • EA for Gold Coast Morning • Directed Evacuation issued on behalf of Gold Coast for Ormeau area of Albert River 11.00am • Albert River peaked at 8m at Beenleigh Four evacuation centres opened across Logan . Evening • Logan River peaked at 10.5m at Waterford

31 March

1 April

Power restored to 1600 properties DCCDS established a community recovery hub at Beenleigh

Landslide, Lamington National Park, Queensland. Photo courtesy of ABC News - supplied: David Higgins

3 April

Ongoing operations had transitioned to recovery Local and district groups had stood down

8 April

59

4 THE THREE CONCURRENT EVENTS

South East Queensland – rapid-onset flooding