Queensland Floods Report Lacks Communications Strategy

The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry Interim Report was released 1 August 2011. Several or the recommendations refer to the use of telecommunications for flood warnings, telephones, SMS, mobile phones, the Internet and the web. However, what is lacking from the Queensland response to the flood, and the report's recommendations, is an overall strategy for the use of telecommunications for disaster preparedness and response. The recommendations refer to different forms of telecommunications in different places, rather than an overall strategy of preparing clear messages and then issuing them via all available and appropriate communications channels.

Recommendations relating to telecommunications:

2.24 Seqwater should give consideration to posting information about current and future releases on its website during flood events as one method of ensuring accurate and timely information is available to the public.

3.6 Every local government should publish its disaster management plan (and relevant sub-plans) on its website before the next wet season.

4.2 Councils should prepare SMS alert templates covering a range of different flood scenarios before the wet season.

4.3 SMS alerts should direct recipients to websites or contact numbers providing more detailed information about flood locations and predictions, the location of evacuation centres and evacuation routes.

4.4 Councils and Emergency Management Queensland should work together to ensure the approval process does not cause delays in delivering SMS alerts.

4.18 Dam operators should assess the effectiveness of using SMS and/or email as a bulk instantaneous communication to all people on the notification list while individually contacting those whom it is essential to inform immediately.

2.19 Seqwater should ensure that all telephone calls within the flood operations centre are digitally recorded to create an accurate record of decision-making during major flood events.

4.23 Operators of dams should publicise, in a newspaper circulating in the local area and by posting a notice on its website every year before the wet season, the opportunity for local residents immediately downstream of a dam to be included on the existing notification list, and:

• consider whether an applicant for notification is so close to the dam that the warning time before water from the dam affects them is less than that available through the emergency management system
• consider whether they can be effectively notified by SMS or email
• if it is necessary to contact the applicant personally, agree with him or her a mode for that communication.

4.28 In rural and remote areas where telecommunications are not effective, measures that do not rely on internet and mobile telephone services should be implemented to inform the travelling public of road conditions ahead, for example:

• signs with detailed information
• providing tourist information centres and tourist radio stations with information on road conditions.

4.31 Councils should advise the Bureau of Meteorology of any information they possess about flash flooding (or the immediate prospect of it) likely to endanger life or property in their region, and of any warnings they issue about such flash flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology should consider in each case whether any such warning should be re-published (whether as a warning emanating from the Bureau itself or as attributed to the relevant council) on the Bureau’s website, or whether it should provide a link to any council warning or other information regarding flash flooding provided by councils or disaster management agencies.

4.32 Where the Bureau of Meteorology has information which leads it to anticipate flash flooding likely to endanger life or property in a specific area, it should publish a warning to that effect on its website.

5.45 That advice should be given using as many mechanisms as appropriate, including text message, radio and door knocking.

Sections of the report

The report is 266 pages. The Full report, is available as one 12Mbyte PDF file, or in sections:

Front matter:

• Letter of transmittal
• Table of contents
• Preface, Introduction
• Recommendations

Chapters:

1. Summary of weather and flood events
2. Dams
3. Disaster frameworks, preparation and planning
4. Forecasts, warnings and information
5. Emergency response
6. Essential services
7. Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba

• Appendices
  

1. Terms of Reference
2. Leave to appear
3. Glossary

Flood Relief Payments Delayed by Manual Processing

The Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, has apologised for delays in processing of payments from the Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal. The Premier has ordered that the process be overhauled. Unfortunately, it appears that the processing was being done manually and there are no plans to change this, so it is unlikely the process will be significantly improved.

The Premier explained that about 100 people were working on processing applications and directed more people be put on this if needed. However, more people are unlikely to greatly speed up a manual processing system. Also diverting government staff to this task will mean they are not available to assist flood victims. Using automation would allow the process to be done in minutes, rather than days.

To Apply for Premier’s Disaster Relief Funds applicants are required to fill in a seven page form. The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal emergency assistance form is provided as a 54 Kbyte PDF file which can be downloaded. The instructions say "Please use black or blue pen" and to return the form by Fax, Post or in person.

There is no provision to fill the form in online and return it electronically. As a result there will be delays while the form is delivered to the processing centre and further delays and errors as staff then manually transcribe the details from the form into systems to record and check the details.

The Queensland government should consider providing an online version of the form. This could be completed directly by the applicant using their own computer or smart phone, or by staff in a Community Recovery Centre. Much of the processing could then be carried out automatically.

The form could also be made much simpler and easier to fill out by making use of existing government databases. Rather than ask the applicant for details which are then checked against government records, the needed information could be simply extracted from those systems. This would particularly be of use where applicants copies of documentation have been lost in the disaster.

Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry

Justice Catherine Holmes, Jim O’Sullivan AC and Phillip Cummins commenced the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry today. Their Terms of Reference include the adequacy of equipment and communications systems. Written submissions are invited by 5.00pm, 11 March 2011. The final report is due by January 2012.

My postings on the January 2010 Australian Floods may be of interest to the commission. The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission contacted me about postings on emergency communications.

a) the preparation and planning by federal, state and local governments; emergency services and the community for the 2010/2011 floods in Queensland,

b) the performance of private insurers in meeting their claims responsibilities,

c) all aspects of the response to the 2010/2011 flood events, particularly measures taken to inform the community and measures to protect life and private and public property, including

• immediate management, response and recovery
• resourcing, overall coordination and deployment of personnel and equipment
• adequacy of equipment and communications systems; and
• the adequacy of the community’s response.

d) the measures to manage the supply of essential services such as power, water and communications during the 2010/2011 flood events,

e) adequacy of forecasts and early warning systems particularly as they related to the flooding events in Toowoomba, and the Lockyer and Brisbane Valleys,

f) implementation of the systems operation plans for dams across the state and in particular the Wivenhoe and Somerset release strategy and an assessment of compliance with, and the suitability of the operational procedures relating to flood mitigation and dam safety,

g) all aspects of land use planning through local and regional planning systems to minimise infrastructure and property impacts from floods,

h) in undertaking its inquiries, the Commission is required to:

• take into account the regional and geographic differences across affected communities; and
• seek public submissions and hold public hearings in affected communities. ...

From: Terms of Reference, Commissions of Inquiry Order (No.1)k, The State of Queensland, 2011.