The City of Launceston is working collaboratively with the community to better understand the risk associated with living in and around a flood plain.

To do this, the Council has implemented a suite of projects to assist in building understanding of risk and supporting individuals with information so they can take personal action to better prepare for flood.

The projects have included the flood awareness markers project, the development of a flood education kit and more recently partnering with the Holographic Lounge and local schools to develop short films delivering key disaster resilience messages.

These projects have engaged the community through different media focusing on clear and easily understood messaging and appealing to the different ways people learn - whether it be visual, written or face-to-face. The three projects have reinforced the same messages and the involvement of local schools has been integral.

The flood markers project was a great initiative to help people understand how high the water will peak in various locations around the city for a 20-year, 50-year and 100-year flood.  These flood markers are placed permanently on power poles around the city and use distinct bands of colours to represent the various depths.  The flood markers and the coloured bands are reinforced through messaging given on the radio and by the emergency services during an event. This has proven to be a great way to raise awareness, which is reinforced on a daily basis.

City of Launceston Flood Markers

To further enhance the community’s resilience to flooding, the City of Launceston has developed a flood preparedness kit for communities in the flood-prone areas of Launceston. This kit included tips on what to do before, during and after a flood, a fridge magnet with ‘at a glance’ essential information and contact numbers, flood evacuation procedures, how the flood warnings will be delivered, how to read the flood markers in their area and where evacuation centres are located.

To view the Flooding in Launceston Brochure click here.

Most recently, Floodscapes, a flood awareness project managed by the Holographic Lounge, saw schools located in Launceston’s flood plains work in consultation with the Council and the State Emergency Service to produce three short films delivering key disaster resilience messages to community about flood safety.

The films have used spectacular aerial and drone footage captured by the City of Launceston, SES , Southern Cross Television and the community during the 2016 floods, overlaid with creative animations derived through a series of workshops with local schools.  The project effectively saw the children of Launceston become the guardians and messengers for flood awareness for the City of Launceston.

To view films click here.

The work undertaken by the City of Launceston in collaboration with other stakeholders has been leading edge and provides the foundations for other flood-prone municipalities to leverage and learn from this innovative approach.