LIGHTNING TALK - The benefits of drawing on historical observation to drive disaster management.

Abstract

With over 300 days of sunshine each year Townsville is a tropical paradise. However, during its wet season it’s not unusual for Townsville to experience intense heavy rainfall over a short period of time. Townsville is also built on the natural floodplain of the Bohle and Ross River. When you consider both of these factors it’s not surprising that Townsville experiences flooding, king tides, and the occasional cyclone on a reoccurring basis. During disasters, Temporary Traffic Management plays a significant role in protecting the public from danger. Traffic Controllers can be used to close flooded roads and reroute traffic to an alternate route, installing advisory warning signs where there are hazardous conditions, or enabling access through roads by contraflowing traffic to a higher section of the road. Two challenges that councils may face in disaster management is that mother nature can be unpredictable; and there are hidden local factors that can contribute to the severity of a natural disaster if they are not properly managed. Therefore, local councils must have an action plan in place prior to a disaster occurring so they can coordinate their response as efficiently as possible- Pre-emptive action trumps causal reaction. The Townsville City Council’s Traffic Management team have responded to a variety of disasters and emergencies - and will share some of their key findings, and strategies which have enabled them to respond instantaneously and effectively to any unplanned event. Topics Included: • What constitutes an effective response plan? • The usefulness of data collection. (SCADA, flow rates, water levels, flood cameras, guardian, historical data) • The benefits of having pre-emptive, pre-drawn TGS for areas of concern, internal TC’s and equipment • Strategies for Disaster management (Redundancy, identifying available staff, and resources, locations of resources, remote/field work capacity, work from home or tough books, traffic management plans, traffic companies on contract) • What are the consequences of being unprepared? • What unconsidered factors increase the severity of disasters if left unchecked?