Disaster Management
Flood Resilient Building
A new building guide has been developed to help Queenslanders strengthen their flood resilience at home. The Flood Resilient Building Guidance for Queensland Homes (Guide) is designed to be used by home owners and the building industry to help reduce the effort, cost and time to return people to their homes and workplaces following floods.
Resilient building design not only reduces the physical and financial costs of natural disasters, but the social and emotional impacts as well. Investment in resilient homes can reduce the cost of damages to your home and contents, as well as costs associated with cleaning up, loss of work, loss of accommodation, insurance premiums and the social costs caused by emotional stress.
The Guide is non-mandatory and can be referred to when building a new home or upgrading an existing home. It aims to raise awareness of some of the key issues with living in flood prone areas by providing design and building advice to help minimise potential damages.
Investing in flood resilient measures at home is another way Queenslanders are working together to be the most disaster resilient state in Australia.
For more information visit www.qra.qld.gov.au/resilient-homes
Floodwater Safety
Our summer storm season brings with it severe weather and the possibility of flash flooding.
- Don't walk or play in floodwater.
- Keep a close eye on children.
- Don't drive into floodwater
Many people who drown or need rescuing have either deliberately driven into floodwater or taken their vehicle into a potentially dangerous situation. Drivers should be aware of causeways or stormwater run-off areas. You should avoid these areas in your neighbourhood or places you are visiting. Take care choosing somewhere to park, as well. Never drive through floodwaters - find an alternative route or wait until the water level drops. Water deeper than the bottom of your car door is enough to float your vehicle away, or splash the engine and cause it to stall. Even gently-moving floodwater can wash away the road surface beneath. Speeding through water can cause loss of traction and aquaplaning, and can increase the risk of stalling the engine.
Remember, if it's flooded, forget it!
For more information on preparing your 'Plan B', check out the Queensland Government's floodwater safety website.
Sandbags
Sandbags can be purchased from some local hardware stores or landscaping suppliers. We recommend checking with hardware stores and landscaping suppliers for availability.
It is best to be prepared and purchase your own sandbags before flood events as when significant flooding is occurring, sandbags may be in limited supply.
During times of significant flooding, Council may make sand and empty sand bags available for community members to come along and fill their own bags. Council will make public announcements through the media if they are making sand and sand bags available.
During flooding, if you are unable to attain and place sandbags due to physical limitations (e.g. person with a disability) then a request for assistance to the SES may be made. If you require SES assistance call 132 500.
For information on sandbags click on this Sandbags link.
Stormwater Control
For information regarding the best course of action to take, your responsibility, and Council's responsibility, please view the Stormwater Control Factsheet.
Neighbourhood Safer Place (NSP)
An NSP is a local open space or building where people may gather, as a last resort, to seek shelter from a bushfire. Use of an NSP may be your contingency plan when:
- Your Bushfire Survival Plan has failed.
- Your plan was to stay but the extent of the fire means that your home cannot withstand the impact of the fire and therefore your home is not a safe place to shelter.
- The fire has escalated to an `extreme` or `catastrophic` level and voluntary evacuation is your safest option.
Neighbourhood Safer Place locations in the Lockyer Valley are;
- Laidley Cultural Centre, 3 Laidley Plainland Road North Laidley
- Laidley Football Field, Anzac Park Corner of Edward Street and Patrick Street, Laidley
- Murphy's Creek Grounds, Dodt's Road Murphy's Creek.
Register with 'Register. Find.Reunite'
During emergency situations or disasters, the Register. Find. Reunite. system may be launched by the Australian Red Cross. Register Find Reunite allows our community to register, find and reunite family, friends and loved ones after an emergency or disaster event. Residents who have evacuated are encouraged to register their name and whereabouts. Visit the Register.Find.Reunite website for more information.
Local Disaster Management Group
The Lockyer Valley Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) is a committee of senior representatives from Council, State and other agencies with the necessary expertise or experience and delegated authority to assist with a comprehensive, all hazards, all agencies approach to disaster management.
The LDMG coordinates the response and recovery for the impacts caused by disasters that affect our community.
Lockyer Valley Local Disaster Management Plan
The Local Disaster Management Plan is prepared by the Local Disaster Management Group for the Lockyer Valley under the provisions of Section 57(1) of the Disaster Management Act 2003.
To view the plan, click the link below.
Helpful links:
- State Emergency Service
- Rural Fire Service
- Bureau of Meteorology
- Queensland Ambulance Service
- Queensland Police Service
- Energex
- Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
- Traffic and Travel Information
- Business Queensland
- RSPCA
- Queensland Government - Disaster Management
- Volunteering Queensland
- Queensland Government Emergency Services and Safety
For more details, contact Lockyer Valley Regional Council on 1300 005 872
