Brisbane's flood action plan: what the 51 actions cover
After the 2022 floods Brisbane City Council released a 51-action flood resilience plan alongside an independent review. What it set out to do.
Brisbane sits on a floodplain, and the river is the reason. In August 2022 Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner released Rebuild and Recover: Flood Resilience Action Plan, a blueprint of 51 actions for preparing the city for future floods.
The review behind it
The plan runs alongside the independent Brisbane City Council 2022 Flood Review by Paul de Jersey, which made 37 recommendations. The Lord Mayor said the council was releasing its own blueprint just 81 days after the review.
What the plan focuses on
The council grouped the actions under six areas:
- infrastructure
- transport
- community economy
- environment and drainage
- land use planning
- organisation and finance
Infrastructure measures include upgrading, relocating and rebuilding key assets, with Energy Queensland to relocate or improve traffic signals and public lighting where needed. Recommendations from the review include looking at alternative sandbag distribution sites, formally adding community hubs to disaster responses, updating flood maps and reports, and promoting the council's voluntary Weatherzone warning service.
At the time the council said it had collected about 75,535 tonnes of flood waste, repaired more than 17,000 potholes and provided more than 29,000 free tip trips. The Lord Mayor said damage to council assets was "far worse than the 2011 flood."
Where the plan leads
The article announcing the plan did not state a budget for it. Later council programs sit under the same flood resilience push. Pick one to follow:
- help for flooded businesses
- a drainage upgrade in New Farm
- the 2025 update to flood maps
Details are as announced in August 2022. Check Brisbane City Council for the plan's current status.