Flood Resilient Suburbs – Apartments Program
Brisbane Sustainability Agency is working with Brisbane City Council to improve the flood resilience of Brisbane’s apartment buildings.
About the program
The Flood Resilient Suburbs – Apartments Program is an initiative of Brisbane City Council, delivered in partnership with Brisbane Sustainability Agency. Brisbane City Council is aware of the impact of flood events on apartment buildings. For example, flooding in basements can cause apartment building occupants to experience periods of isolation and building service outages.
The program is designed to help apartment building bodies corporate prepare for, respond to and recover quickly from flood events with free online tools and resources. Eligible apartment buildings are offered a free Building Resilience Assessment, followed by a Flood Resilience Recommendations Report, to raise awareness of flood risks and to identify design, engineering and construction options that improve the building’s flood resilience. The program is focused on apartment complexes with basements.
Benefits of the program
The program assists at-risk apartment buildings and consists of three steps:
Flood Resilience Information – all bodies corporate can express their interest in the program and receive free online tools and resources to help prepare for, respond to and recover quickly from a flood event.
Building Resilience Assessment – eligible bodies corporate can also receive a free Building Resilience Assessment conducted on-site by a flood resilience assessor.
Flood Resilience Recommendations Report – following the assessment, participants receive a Recommendations Report outlining actions that bodies corporate can take to better improve their apartment building’s flood resilience.
For more information on the Flood Resilient Suburbs – Apartments Program, visit our frequently asked questions.
Impact on community resilience
The Flood Resilient Suburbs – Apartments Program completed 77 flood resilience assessments to the benefit of more than 7,500 dwellings in Brisbane. This initiative, part of the broader Flood Resilient Suburbs Program, has significantly enhanced community resilience by educating residents about flood risks and providing practical solutions to mitigate the impacts of flooding.
By incorporating measures such as flood resilience information, on-site assessments, and a Recommendations Report outlining actions that bodies corporate can take to better improve their apartment building’s flood resilience, the program has helped create more prepared communities, reducing the overall burden of flood recovery.
Eligibility
The Flood Resilient Suburbs – Apartments Program closed June 30, 2024.
All bodies corporate were eligible for free online flood resilience information. Bodies corporate were eligible for the Building Resilience Assessment and Flood Resilience Recommendations Report if the building:
- is located within the Brisbane City Local Government Area
- has a basement
- has a 50% chance of overland flow and/or creek flooding each year, or a 1% chance of river flooding each year or was impacted by the February 2022 severe weather event.
What is flood-resilient design?
Flood-resilient design is the use of materials, construction systems and design types that can withstand substantial and multiple inundations of water by actively mitigating the effects and minimising the cost of flooding. Flood resilient design enables property owners to take action before a flood event, easily clean and quickly move back in after such an event with minimal long-term disruption. By implementing flood-resilient design measures, property owners can actively mitigate or minimise the effects of flooding.
View below for examples of flood-resilient design and building solutions in practice in a house:
We recommend investigating flood-resilient building and construction techniques for your building. To do this, view any of the resources below.
More information
If you would like more information about the Flood Resilient Suburbs -Apartments Program or flood resilient design generally, read our frequently asked questions or you can contact Brisbane Sustainability Agency at 07 3007 7013 or email admin@sustainablebrisbane.com.au
Be prepared for flooding
Brisbane City Council is committed to creating a more resilient city by ensuring residents, businesses and organisations are better prepared to endure future severe weather events. The free tools and information accessed through the below links can help Brisbane residents, businesses and organisations understand their property’s flood risk and how to prepare for future flood events:
Flood Awareness Map – To identify the likelihood and sources of flooding that may affect your property, sourced from the latest flood studies and models.
FloodWise Property Report – Download a FloodWise Property Report to understand the risk and type of flooding at a specific property to enable you to plan and build new habitable floor levels in accordance with Brisbane City Council’s requirements.
Brisbane Severe Weather Alert Service – Sign up to receive free alert notices of severe thunderstorms, destructive winds and potential flooding.
Visit Council’s be prepared web page for more information on how you can prepare yourself and your property for severe weather events.
Flood preparation, recovery and emergency phone numbers
Life-threatening emergencies: 000
Brisbane City Council: 07 3403 8888
State Emergency Service (SES): 132 500
Energex (power lines): 13 19 62
Queensland Urban Utilities: 13 26 57 (13 23 64 for emergencies)
Community Recovery Hotline: 1800 173 349
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Explore our other programs
Sustainable Action Training
Biodiverse Brisbane Initiative
Flood Resilient Suburbs Programs
Sustainable Business Hub
Brisbane Carbon Challenge
Oxley Creek Transformation
Resilient Clubs Support Program
