Across Rosalie and Bardon, homeowners are rebuilding and elevating their houses off the ground to become flood-resilient and one resident has been a lucky benefactor of a free renovation, thanks to the pilot launch of the Flood Resilient Program.
An initiative of the Brisbane City Council in partnership with CitySmart, the Flood Resilient Program aims to help residents prepare, bounce back and thrive after a flooding disaster with minimal disruption. For now, the program is by strict invitation only and selected among residents who are “regularly and severely impacted by overland flow flooding.”
Margherita Gellel from Rosalie has been chosen to benefit from the program, giving her and her family some peace of mind. Ms Gellel has been a Rosalie resident for nearly 50 years and has experienced frequent flooding that she’s always apprehensive whenever it rains in Brisbane. However, she and her neighbours have never considered moving away as an option.
Now, she’s feeling a lot more relieved because of the program that launched in mid-2019. It would have been such a costly expense for Ms Gellel to rebuild her house from underneath but the renovation costs are shouldered by the Council, CitySmart and the firm of James Davidson Architect (JDA).
JDA has been designing flood-resilient homes for Queenslanders ever since the great flood of 2011. The firm has a different approach in building flood-resilient homes as it makes use of wet proofing or materials that are easy to clean and could withstand water. The company’s innovation has earned the recognition of the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.
Meanwhile, CitySmart has conducted a forum on flood resiliency with the participation of various builders and architects specialising in flooding disasters, per Councillor Vicki Howard. This was a free event covering the following:
- How to identify properties at risk from flooding
- Flood-resilient building techniques, materials, and the benefit for your clients
- How to provide advice to clients and understand your business risks, including planning scheme flood overlays and site water management issues
- Comparative costs in flood resilience building and staying competitive when quoting
The forum took place on 24 June 2021 at the East Leagues Club in Langlands Park, 40 Main Avenue, Coorparoo. Keep tabs on the results of this forum via the councillor’s official site or Facebook page.
You may also visit the Council’s website to learn more about the Flood Resilient Program.
