The Queensland government has released flood resilience design guidelines to help safeguard homes against the impact of floods in the wake of severe recent flooding events.
The guidelines were developed in collaboration the Queensland government architect Leah Lang and James Davidson Architects, a practice that specialises in designing in extreme climates.
“This guidance aims to minimize the impact of flooding for existing flood affected homes through the use of flood resilient materials and construction methods,” the document states.
Options include “wet proofing [which] involves using flood resilient materials and construction techniques to allow flood waters to enter the house with a minimised chance of damage and moisture problems afterwards,” and raising the entire dwelling to mitigate flood damage, as well as other strategies.
In 2022, more than 7,000 Queensland homes have been damaged by flooding across 37 local government areas, said federal emergency management minister Murray Watt.
“With the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund – which is being delivered through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) – we are working hard to assist as many flood-impacted people as possible, as soon as possible,” said Watt.
The government will carry out floor level surveys prior to home assessments, public works minister Mick de Brenni said. The assessment will also include educating homeowners about the flood risk of their individual properties to improve resilience to future flooding events.
The guidelines are designed as a clear and easy-to-apply framework to help owners quickly resume normal life after flood water recedes, reducing long-term disruption to family and work activities.
“They won’t stop a flood,” said Minister for Public Works Mick de Brenni, “but will help minimise the chance of flood damage to individual properties, save homeowners in the long-term from having to pay for repetitive repairs to their homes, and prepare homes for changing flood conditions in the future.”
The guide can be viewed via the Queensland government website.
