Preparing for a flood event
Before a flood event, flood mapping and information is used to help inform emergency preparedness planning.
Prior to a flood event, flood mapping and information is used to help inform emergency preparedness planning. The mapping helps promote community awareness and supports education programs e.g. Get Ready campaign. This aims to increase individual and household preparedness, as well as businesses continuity planning. It also provides situational awareness for disaster response personnel.
Community awareness and education
Updated flood mapping helps the community to understand how flooding and overland flow may affect aspects of their everyday life, at home, at work, at school or on the road. Understanding and acting on this information helps build a strong and resilient community.
Historically, most Queensland towns and communities were established on or near a floodplain. As a result flooding is likely. With this in mind, understanding flood risks to your property and your local area, will help build community resilience to possible flood events.
Disaster Hub
Council has developed a Disaster Hub, an information portal to service the community during disaster events and help build our community's emergency preparedness for evets like flooding, all year round..
Please refer to the downloadable guide and how-to video to help you navigate the flood maps.
- How to view emergency preparedness flood maps (PDF, 2588KB).
Emergency preparedness flood mapping products
Riverine flood maps (minor, moderate, major and extreme flood events)
Riverine flood maps show residents the effect of widespread and prolonged rainfall over a large catchment area. Riverine flood events may cause elevated water levels in our rivers and creeks for several days. Flash flooding can also occur following intense localised rainfall and with little warning.
These maps provide an estimate of how and where water will rise during a flood event. This information is important for emergency preparedness as it assists with disaster management and planning, for both council and our community.
The mapping is divided into four categories to represent likelihood and flood risk.
| Flood Likelihood | Minor | Moderate | Major | Extreme |
| Annually | 40% | 10% | 1% | 0.05% |
| Over 70 years | 100% | 99.9% | 50% | 3% |
The following diagram shows how the riverine flooding categories compare to flood events that have occurred in our region in the past.
Storm tide maps (storm surge maps)
This mapping presents surge heights above the highest astronomical tide. It shows the effects of additional surges from the ocean during meteorological (storm) conditions.
This information is important for emergency preparedness. It assists with disaster management and planning, for both council and the community.
Responding to the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry (the Inquiry) recommendations
The updated flood mapping and information responds to the Inquiry's recommendation that local governments provide risk-based mapping so residents, professionals and local government can more clearly know, prepare for and manage flood risk.
What you can do
Provide feedback: council is currently seeking feedback on how easy this flood mapping and information is to navigate and understand. Please view the factsheets, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and how-to videos to help you explore the mapping.
As storm season approaches, it’s a good time to go online and check your property using our emergency preparedness mapping.
Residents are encouraged to look at the locations where they live, work, or where friends and family members may go to school. Look at how flooding affects the routes often travelled. It’s important to have a backup plan or know the alternative routes you can take.
Think about how your property might be affected by different flood events. Consider any changes you might need to make to prepare for flooding now or in the future and increase your own resilience.