" Floodplain " risks !

Two years ago, Queensland suffered massive flood rains and the damage was immense.   Thirty-five people died, and the reconstruction bill topped $ 6 billion.     Now precisely the same areas are under water again.

Floods are a natural part of the Australian weather pattern and Queensland's 2010/11 inundation was not a record.   What is a new factor - is the frequency.   It seems that global warming will deliver a continent more susceptible to both drought - and major flooding.   It seems that there is a new phenomenon to add to that mix - Tornadoes !

We are a country with an ever expanding population.  As a consequence, we have a need for more housing and this is putting pressure on population centres to open up building land - and in many cases these new housing estates are located on flood plains.

Several factors come together to blind governments to the danger this imposes.   Flood plains are flat areas of land and these are the least expensive on which to build roads and facilities.   The biggest need is for low priced housing blocks to keep new homes within the reach of the lowest paid, and as a result this new housing is not elevated.   The most common new dwelling is built on a concrete pad - well below even minor flood level.

This trend is particularly evident in Wollongong.  Several vast new estates are planned to the south/west of the city - and all of them are on flood plains. The long range weather forecasters warn that flood frequency is increasing.   It is possible we will see " once in a hundred years " floods making a visit on a " once in a decade " basis.    Is this the sort of lifestyle we wish to impose on citizens desperate to create a home for their family ?

With careful site selection, some flood plains can consistently deliver floods that reach only about a metre above land level.   A metre of water through any family home is a disaster that costs a huge amount of renovation money, but it is a disaster than can be prevented if builders are prevented from using low lying slab construction in such areas.

An elevated house, using the space underneath for car parking - costs more than using the slab construction method, but that expense returns a rich dividend when a flood strikes - and it saves public money that the government pours into relief efforts once floods subside.   Perhaps a government subsidy to help achieve elevated houses on flood plains would be a money saver on a long term basis.

These proposed new estates bring the opportunity to do the right research - and achieve flood damage reductions for those who will be future residents.   The weather people can determine what level of floods we can expect in the future, and the housing permitted should be designed accordingly.    There is a vast difference between a flood that maroons residents for a day or so, but causes no real damage - and a flood that fills the house with muddy silt, ruins furniture, carpets and electrical items - and makes the home unlivable until relief money restores facilities.

The right planning decisions now will determine what lifestyle our future residents enjoy when the relentless need for housing sees those new estates become reality !