| FLYER ISSUE 2: FEBRUARY FLYER
2020
| READ IN BROWSER https://archive.aweber.com/newsletter/awlist3776483/MzcwMTUxMQ==/fma-flyer-2-february.htm
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NEXT FMA MEETING: QM + AGM 21 MAY 2020, FMA CONFERENCE AT TOOWOOMBA
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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I wish to thank many people this month, starting with our Victorian colleagues for inviting FMA to be part of the recent “Floodies” meeting in Melbourne to discuss “who is doing what” with climate change in other states.
FMA Communications Director, Sue Ribbons, gave a comprehensive presentation which was followed by a very interesting discussion around the room and my sincere thanks go to Sue and our Planning Director, Paul Grech, for preparing and delivering the information.
May I also send a big thank you to those Councils in each state who responded to FMA’s recent survey seeking advice as to what strategies, if any, are being implemented in Australia.
It seems that most of us are incorporating climate change scenarios in our flood studies but there are not a lot of strategies finding their way into land use planning instruments, plans and schemes.
Discussion around the survey results was also part of the NSW/ACT Quarterly Workshop in Sydney led by Paul and Sue.
Results of the survey will soon be in the Members' Section of our website and also as an attachment to our February Quarterly Meeting/Workshop minutes.
It would still be of interest to learn of any further actions in this space are occurring so send us your comments.
The Queensland Quarterly Meeting Workshop was led by Grantley Smith, Principal Engineer and Manager of the University of NSW Water Research Laboratory. Grantley presented the research into factors affecting vehicles being washed away in flood waters. His work incorporated using real vehicles rather than scale models.
Many thanks also to Grantley for devoting the day to this important topic.
As a final thanks, I really appreciate the great response to our Call for Abstracts for the upcoming Conference. As mentioned elsewhere in this Flyer, it’s time to catch the Early Bird registration rate for the Conference. The program will be released soon and it is another jam packed fantastic array of presentations and social events including “Young Floodplain Manager”
initiatives.
I look forward to seeing you all on the registration list soon.
ID
Ian Dinham | FMA President
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EVENT DATE REMINDER: Queensland Chapter August Meeting
A gentle reminder of the following rescheduled date for the August Meeting of the Queensland Chapter: Wednesday 5 August.
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FMA EXCELLENCE AWARDS OPEN TOMORROW!
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The 2020 Floodplain Management Australia Excellence Awards are opening at 12noon Tuesday, 3 March.
The FMA Excellence Awards publicly recognise the outstanding contribution of FMA organisations and individuals towards promoting wise land use planning, reducing flood impacts, managing flood incidents or restoring communities after a flood event.
The Awards are split into two categories to celebrate both individuals in the industry and specific projects that have been undertaken over the past 12 months.
The FMA-Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year is open to any FMA Member, or member of an FMA Member organisation with the prize including a Full Three-Day Registration to the 2021 FMA Conference in Sydney and a Crystal Trophy.
The FMA-NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year is open to any FMA Member, with the first prize including $10,000 to be used for a purpose related to FRM or flood risk education and a coveted plenary presentation spot on the final Conference morning.
The winners of the Awards will be announced at the Conference Gala dinner, Toowoomba on Thursday 21 May.
Take this opportunity to recognise the incredible work that you and your colleagues are undertaking in the flood risk management field and nominate for both categories!
Nominations will only be open for a few weeks, so get your entry prepared now so you don't miss out.
Download the information and nominations forms at floods.org.au/site/ea.
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EARLY BIRD CLOSING FOR 2020 TOOWOOMBA CONFERENCE
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There are only 18 days until Early Bird Registrations for the 2020 FMA Conference in Toowoomba close! Register before 20 March to make the most of the available discounts.
Remember, if you are a current FMA Member, or member of an FMA Member organisation, you qualify for special Conference rates also. If you are unsure of your Membership status, please contact us and we can help you out.
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NSW FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT GRANTS NOW OPEN!
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As FMA Members were notified at the recent NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney, applications are now open for the 2020-21 Floodplain Management Grants Program from the New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
Applications can be made for the following independent project stages:
- Stage 1 Flood study (including data collection)
- Stage 2 Prepare or review a floodplain risk management study and plan
- Stage 3 Investigation, design and/or feasibility study (where required) for works identified in a floodplain risk management plan; this stage must be undertaken for all works projects that are likely to exceed a total project cost of $500,000
- Stage 4 Implementing actions identified in a floodplain risk management plan, including but not limited to:
• structural works such as levees, detention basins, floodgates and flow conveyance improvements (if these are extensive works requiring a high level of funding, they should be broken into stages)
• flood warning systems
• evacuation management Floodplain Management Program – Guidelines for applicants 2020-21 2
• upgrades of flood assets that have reached the end of their design life
• voluntary house raising (further information on the eligibility criteria and implementation of voluntary house raising projects is available in Floodplain Management Program Guidelines for voluntary house raising schemes)
• voluntary purchase (further information on the eligibility criteria and implementation of voluntary purchase projects is available in Floodplain Management Program Guidelines for voluntary purchase schemes).
To find out more information, such as eligibility, guidelines, application forms, past funded projects and reference materials, visit the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.
The closing date for applications is 8 April, so get yours in now.
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QUEENSLAND CHAPTER ROUNDUP
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Pictured (from left): FMA President Ian Dinham with Arran Corbett (Team Leader Hydrographic Support Unit, Department of Natural Resources and Mines) at the Brisbane Meeting.
This February, flood professionals from Queensland convened at the George Williams Hotel for the FMA Queensland Chapter Meeting.
The Meeting was an opportunity for FMA to discuss it's recent activities, network with Members and bring to the fore issues and challenges faced during the barrage of recent severe weather.
The Meeting was also provided with updates from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, the Flood Community of Practice and Toowoomba Regional Council.
Grantley Smith of the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory led the afternoon workshop What Happens When Cars Drive Into Moving Flood Water? The workshop discussed the work of the UNSW Water Research Laboratory in discovering what happens when cars encounter flash floods, replicated scenarios faced by many stranded motorists, but in a special tank. This research is the first in
which actual cars were used, not miniature vehicles as in the past.
The next FMA Meeting will be held at the FMA Conference in Toowoomba:
FMA Quarterly Meeting and Annual General Meeting, 21 May.
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Pictured (from left): FMA Directors Paul Grech (Land Use Planning), Sue Ribbons (Communications), Ian Dinham (President), Glenn Evans (Executive Officer), Danny Rose (Technical) and NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York in Sydney.
Over fifty flood professionals attended the recent FMA NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney at the Bureau of Meteorology this month. Delegates were able to network and catch up with colleagues after the end of year break, and hear industry updates from NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES), the Bureau of
Meteorology and the Young Floodplain Managers Network.
New NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York also addressed the Meeting to introduce herself to FMA, and touch on her new role at the SES. FMA looks forward to working with Commissioner York in the future.
The afternoon saw two Workshops on offer; a field trip to the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory (organised by the YFM network), and Climate Change Flood Risk Provisions in Land Use Planning held at the Bureau of Meteorology. Both workshops were very popular, and feedback was very positive. As numbers were limited for the field trip, FMA is considering running this workshop again in the
future for those who were unable to attend.
Please save the date for the next FMA Meeting, which is on Thursday 21 May at the FMA National Conference in Toowoomba.
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ASFPM URBAN FLOODING REPORT
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The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Foundation has released a report on “the emerging threat” of urban flooding in the United States. The report Urban Flooding: Moving Towards Resilience. A Summary Report based on the 6th Assembly of the Gilbert F. White National Flood Policy Forum says that urban flooding is becoming more frequent and severe, with
increasingly serious impacts to stormwater infrastructure, vulnerable neighbourhoods, local and regional economies, and public health.
The forum, attended by more than 100 experts from local, state, and federal agencies, professional associations and environmental groups and private sector organisations, considered the problem of urban flooding, and ways to move towards resilience.
In his introduction to the report ASFPM Foundation President Doug Plascencia says the challenge of urban flooding is “perhaps the number one future flood risk for the United States.
“The reasons why are multi-layered, but center around two critical elements. First, the nation is experiencing dramatically increased flooding due to changes in rainfall intensity and frequency, sea level rise and coastal storms, exacerbated by inadequate and deteriorating infrastructure
….Second, for a variety of reasons we have adopted by default the 100-year flood as a standard choice in high value, high density urban areas….Many would argue it is inadequate to manage flood risk, considering the economic consequences of flooding and the value of our urban areas.”
FMA Deputy President Allan Gear, who has spoken at various FMA forums on overland flow and is an ASFPM Board Member, contributed to the report as an advisor.
Download the report online here.
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2020 ASIA-PACIFIC MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
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The 2020 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) is being held from 29 June to 2 July 2020 in Brisbane. The Conference is convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and will be hosted by the Australian Government.
The 2020 Conference will be the first hosted by the Australian Government, and will provide a platform to share good practices and to learn about innovative approaches to reducing risk to disasters, from both domestic counterparts and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
This year’s theme is Making a change: Accelerating the transformation to risk-informed development. Enabling local and inclusive disaster resilience.
The 2020 APMCDRR will feature three interconnected content streams focused on investing in prevention; making infrastructure and systems resilient; and sharing innovations, knowledge and solutions.
The draft conference program is now online at: undrr.org/apmcdrr
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This past month, we were sent photos of fundraising occurring in the US to support Australia during the recent severe weather. It is heartening to see the world coming to the aid of our country in times of need.
Thank you to Paul Osman from Illinois for the images, and for thinking of us.
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The UNSW Water Research Laboratory tour organised by the YFM Committee was a success following the FMA NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in February. There were a lot of
interesting projects under construction and underway in the lab. We are very grateful to Grantley Smith for his time and expertise.
Also, the YFM are planning to arrange a social activity after each FMA Chapter Meeting to provide additional opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing. All floodplain managers welcome! We hope to see you there after the next meeting.
The Young Floodplain Managers Committee and FMA are pleased to announce that two new awards will be presented at the 2020 National Conference. The awards will recognise one outstanding poster and paper presented by a Young Floodplain Manager. These awards will celebrate the amazing work being done by young and new people in our industry.
To qualify for these awards, you must be member of the YFM Network and tick the YFM Network box at the bottom of your registration form when you sign up for the Conference.
YFM will also be hosting some other new activities at the conference such as an informal dinner after the Welcome Reception (location TBD) and “first timer tours” in the mornings.
We can’t wait to see you all at Toowoomba in May!
The link to join the YFM Network is
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8ScSReZ6EO6Pmh36EQisHcXXZ0Ex8e8JaIkRND51dAkfS6g/viewform?usp=sf_link
- The YFM
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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
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No current vacancies.
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us, please contact us.
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TRAVELLING CAPS AND BEANIES
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Pictured: FMA Deputy Director Allan Gear rugged up with his beanie in Oxford (UK skyline in the background).
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