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Floodplain Management Australia Conference brought together floodplain managers, researchers, emergency services and community leaders to explore how collaboration and shared knowledge can strengthen flood resilience across Australia.
A key highlight was the pre-conference workshop hosted by Natural Hazards Research Australia, RMIT University and Macquarie University on Implementing flood research from Victoria and South Australia – the challenges and opportunities with Dr Erica Kuligowski (RMIT University), Dr Blythe McLennan (Natural Hazards Research Australia), Steve Muncaster (Victoria State Emergency Service), Fatemeh Roohafza (RMIT University) and Ingrid Franssen (Department for Environment and Water).
The workshop explored findings from communities impacted by both rapid-onset and slow-onset flooding during 2022–23. Drawing on extensive survey and interview data, the session sparked valuable discussions on how information flows during emergencies, how risk is perceived and how evacuation behaviours differ depending on the nature of the flood. These insights highlighted the need for tailored communication and recovery strategies that reflect the unique dynamics of each event.
Throughout the conference, researchers from the Centre’s network shared work underscoring the importance of integrating science with practice. Dr Carla Mooney (Bureau of Meteorology) presented on the communication of uncertainty across the flash flood warning value chain, examining how uncertainty is conveyed from forecasts to community-level decision-making. Dr Carlos Velasco-Ferrero (Bureau of Meteorology) presented a detailed case study of the Wallis Creek heavy rainfall and inundation event in July 2022, offering insights into forecasting performance and implications for future warning systems.
We were so pleased to welcome many visitors to our booth, where we shared our latest research and heard directly from practitioners and community leaders about the challenges they face on the ground. These conversations reinforced the importance of ongoing collaboration between researchers and end-users in building flood resilience.
As the theme of this year’s conference reminded us, floods do not respect boundaries, so our solutions must cross them too.