Flood planning for apartment residents

All resident’s needs and circumstances should be considered in the planning process. There may be some people who have no visible signs of disability, may be pregnant, may have a temporary injury, or who don’t speak English as their first language. Planners should think about how those who need more help can be supported.

The first step is understanding who in the building may need more support. It needs to be regulated in the management framework that there are regular check-ins during an event. In past events regularly checking in with residents allayed some of the anxiety around losing phone contact or electric wheelchairs running out of charge because residents knew whatever happened someone would be checking on them.

It’s also important to let residents know when lifts will be turned off, because that might be the end of their option to evacuate or remove possessions from the basement. During the last flood, Energex turned off the power to some apartment buildings without warning, so it’s important, if there’s time, to be prepared for that.

The building manager plays a key role in according to the Flood Mitigation Plan. They are not the person who just does everything, but they are provided with all the workings of the building, emergency lists etc, and they provide that to the communications officer. They are the person who will know the building well—where equipment is kept, how the electrical boards work—and who will usually know all the residents. They may or may not live on site. If they live off-site they may not be the person to rely on to start the process of preparing for a flood. That’s why the body corporate needs a group of people to start preparations, but the building manager is an integral part of that group.

Yes, residents should let you and their neighbour know how long they’ll be away if during the flood season. Residents should clear out their fridge and freezer so that in the event of power outage, it doesn’t rot and create another job for someone.

Residents should also prepare their storage cages prior to leaving. Clear unwanted items and place everything in plastic boxes, in case someone has to move them for you. Storage cage belongings will be moved to the resident’s apartment, have things organised to make it easier for someone to relocate your stuff.

This is where the body corporate has to take ownership because they’re the people who will be responsible. They can use some committees to develop a plan, but there needs to be overall leadership communicating with the building manager, the wardens and the residents. During the year there needs to be a couple of meetings to make sure everybody is up to speed and making sure they know and understand the plan. And when positions are filled by new people they need to be inducted and informed of the plan. Don’t wait until an event to designate roles. And if there is a La Niña season coming up meetings may need to be more frequent to ensure everyone knows their roles and their responsibilities.

You can just say, “Hey, I was thinking the other day about if there is a flood, is there anything I could do to help you?” Treat people with a disability or support needs like you would anyone else. They may have it all sorted and don’t need any help, or they might say agree to you supporting them.

This has become increasingly difficult as the number of alternative parking spots has decreased as development expands. It is especially difficult for those residents who have mobility issues. In 2022, people were advised to move their cars to higher ground on the opposite side of Montague Road (from the river).

The best advice is the earlier people can move their cars, the closer they’ll be able to find a park. This is why personal emergency planning is important; if you go through an emergency planning process (e.g., P-CEP), you will have a backup plan for your transport needs.

It’s a hard question to answer because floods vary. Residents may be stuck without power and lifts from a few days to three weeks. In one case, an apartment building was deemed uninhabitable for three months.

Some residents may face higher risks if opting to evacuate if their support needs can’t be accommodated in evacuation centres or friends and families homes. If authorities advise you to evacuate, then you should follow those directions. Residents are encouraged to create a personal emergency plan (P-CEP) to prepare for all scenarios.

This is something to think about as part of your personal plan. You need to be respectful of other residents with regards to when you run a generator. People also need to be aware of the need for ventilation to prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide. You also might be able to provide leads to share it with other residents. It may also be part of the building’s flood plan to consider hiring a generator or a refrigerated trailer in which to keep food.

Resident contact information needs to be collated and maintained by the building manager or similar position. Provide residents with a contact when new people move into the building, whether they’re owners or tenants. From a privacy point of view, it needs to be kept in an electronic format. A communications officer could keep a copy of the electronic version but it is up to the building manager to keep the list updated.

It can be hard to get people to provide those details, but if they are educated as to why they are needed they will be more forthcoming. They can let the building manager know when they are going to be away, where they have left spare keys, and give permission to move their car if needed.

There are resources in the Flood Mitigation Plan, including the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) workbook. P-CEP is a process that has been co-designed with people with disability around taking steps similar to that in the Flood Mitigation Plan. It has manageable steps that question what your support needs are, what your strengths are, who your support network is and how to communicate your plan to them. Your support network will include your building manager, other residents or neighbours. It’s a process that takes time.

Apartment flood planning and personal emergency planning are both big processes, but there are resources and templates to make it more manageable. That’s why Resilient Kurilpa exists.

Some body corporates have reported the process took them 9 months. After each flood event, residents learn a great deal and build further on their plans. Thus, Flood Mitigation Plans are living documents and should be reviewed at least annually.