One-third of Townsville residents unprepared for flood emergency, report finds

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

Research has revealed that about one-third of people were unprepared for north Queensland's most recent flooding disaster.
The data from James Cook University's (JCU) Centre for Disaster Studies also found confusion over evacuation orders and flood mapping in Townsville.
The survey included 233 people in Townsville and its surrounds impacted by the region's flood emergencies between late January and April this year.
The region saw severe flooding devastate the community of Ingham, while Townsville recorded its wettest year on record just three months into 2025.
About 30 per cent of respondents said they did not have a disaster kit — a minimum of three days of essential supplies.
The JCU report recorded more than $1.2 billion in damage, two fatalities from flooding, and now 35 deaths from an outbreak of the soil-borne disease melioidosis.
The findings showed a slight increase in preparedness from the last time the survey was conducted following Cyclone Kirrily in January 2024.
JCU's Yetta Gurtner said disasters were becoming a "day-to-day risk" and results showed a long way to go in preparedness.
"The whole idea is that people should be self-sufficient, and emergency services are there as a priority need for those who can't help themselves."
The Ollera Creek bridge — a vital supply route connecting Townsville and Ingham — collapsed into floodwaters in February.
Dr Gurtner said experience indicated people now needed a minimum of five to seven days' worth of supplies when road networks and power supplies were cut.
Dr Gurtner said there was also uncertainty over evacuation zones and flood mapping in Townsville.
"A lot of people didn't understand what the different colours meant, what that meant in terms of the evacuation messaging," she said.
A Townsville City Council spokesperson said evacuation advice was issued using the coloured Ross River Evacuation Zones — related to flooding from the Ross River Dam — and that the zones had not changed since 2016.
"Due to the intensity and duration of the rainfall, some suburbs across Townsville experienced flash flooding outside of these zones," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the Townsville local disaster management group issued updates using the nationally recognised Australian Warning System.
Dr Gurtner said findings also indicated a significant portion of people were using Facebook as their primary source of information, secondary to the Bureau of Meteorology and local council disaster dashboards.
"People using photos of the 2019 floods and saying it was from this event … often they over-exaggerated the extent of the impacts."
Estimates indicate the damage bill from the February floods to be in the vicinity of $40 to $50 million for the Hinchinbrook Shire.
Deputy Mayor and recovery chair Mary Brown said the council was conducting its own surveys on preparedness.
"It's really important to reflect on how the event progressed, what we did well out of it," she said.
"We're working through those results right now and trying to understand what we can learn from that and what we can do better leading into this season."
Cr Brown said recovery works were progressing, but the shire was looking at a minimum of a two-year recovery period until it transitioned into its "new normal".