Many unaware of local flood risk, says Newcastle council study

As we witness the devastating impact of floods on other communities around Australia, it's a sobering fact that flooding already affects more than 1 in 3 properties in the Newcastle council area.

According to the Draft Newcastle City-wide Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan released by Newcastle Council last week, 25,000 properties in Newcastle - approximately half the total properties - may be flooded in the future.

The study states that an extreme flood event in Newcastle would leave about 15,000 people in a life-threatening situation, with insufficient time to reach safety, either stuck on roads transformed into hazardous floodways, or having to take refuge in buildings that could collapse from the floodwaters.

"Many people will be unaware large parts of Newcastle could flood in the future, including the people who live in those areas," the study says.

The plan proposes a $3.7million five year program focussed, as a matter of short-term priority, on saving lives.

The proposed program comprises a suite of public awareness initiatives, flood prediction and warning systems, planning controls, a certification system for flash-flood-free refuges, property works, and maintaining and updating current systems for dealing with flooding.

The five year plan also has its eye on longer-term concerns, aiming to develop a "strategic position" that will decide between abandoning or rescuing low-lying areas/suburbs (such as Carriington, Maryville and Wickham) within the next 50 years.

The city's western catchments (Ironbark Creek and Dark Creek) are recognised as having the most acute areas for flood risk in Newcastle, primarily because the Wallsend and Jesmond town centres have formed flooding "pinch points".

The plan is designed to complement the Wallsend Flood Plan, which has already been adopted and will be implemented concurrently.

"It is expected that effective flood management will not be achieved unless there is strong political support for such actions, and this will only occur if the community are active and engaged in the issues, and are placing pressure on the local, state and federal politicians to act and respond with good governance on behalf of the community at large," the plan says.

The plan document - which includes a compendium of maps of areas subject to various flood scenarios - will be placed on exhibition by Newcastle Council for public comment from 19 March to 27 April.