Ten years since ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald pounded the Queensland coast and left a trail of destruction and flooding, one regional town is still trying to improve its evacuation plan for thousands of residents.
Oswald drenched South-East Queensland with more than 1,000 millimetres of rain in just four days in January 2013, leading to record-breaking floods in Bundaberg as the Burnett River peaked at a record 9.53 metres.
About 5,000 Bundaberg residents were forced to leave their homes and more than 1,000 people were rescued by helicopter, which at the time was the largest evacuation effort during peacetime in Australia.
LNP federal member for Hinkler Keith Pitt has on the anniversary of the event renewed calls for a faster evacuation route for Bundaberg's northern suburbs, which the community identified as a key priority in 2018.
"It's been 10 years since a very serious emergency event here in Bundaberg … and yet we still see no action from [the state government]," he said.
"The idea that some 10,000 people on the north side of Bundaberg do not get the opportunity to evacuate through the quickest route is appalling."
Coming up with a plan
Authorities have been working to solve the issue since 2017 when the Bundaberg Flood Action plan was launched.
The plan included four flood mitigation projects, including the North Bundaberg Evacuation Route and East Flood Levee.
The entire project could cost more than $100 million.
The Queensland government allocated $4 million in 2017 and committed half the funding to build the levee in October 2020.
State LNP member for Burnett Stephen Bennett joined Mr Pitt in calling for federal funding towards the flood mitigation projects.
He said last month's flooding event in Mackay, about 600 kilometres north of Bundaberg, was an unpleasant reminder of the "real and present danger" of weather disasters.
"That could have been us," Mr Bennett said.
"The community deserves so much more from all levels of government to make sure that the mitigation projects become a reality."
No timeline for new design
State Labor member for Bundaberg Tom Smith said the development of a revised, faster evacuation route was still a priority but he did not provide a timeline for when the project would be delivered by his government.
"Early designs of the evacuation route showed that there was some alarm around the amount of flooding that could be impacted back upon residents that lived upstream of the evacuation route that was proposed," he said.
"So what we need to do now is make sure that there's greater level of detail, not only for the costing, but also to make sure any evacuation route will keep people safe during a flood event."
Mr Smith said the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads was in discussion with the federal government to secure funding for the project, which he estimated would cost more than $110 million.
He said the state government was also seeking a co-funding agreement with the federal government for the proposed levee, which aimed to mitigate flooding for more than 600 properties in Bundaberg's eastern suburbs.
"I'm very confident that [the federal government] will provide the money that we need to ensure that we can deliver mitigation and evacuation for the good people of Bundaberg," Mr Smith said.
The Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the department would continue to work with the state government on finding a solution.
"We know how important flood mitigation is to the local community and are committed to working with Tom Smith and the state government to improve Bundaberg's resilience to flooding and natural disasters," he said.
"We will keep working cooperatively with the state government and the local community to deliver the best possible solution."
'Nothing knocks this town down'
Mr Smith said 10 years on from Bundaberg's worst flood disaster was a time for reflection and remembering the town's resilience.
"What we should be focusing on … is the outstanding work of volunteers, the outstanding work of disaster management services, and also remembering the challenging times that so many people faced," he said.
"Nothing knocks this town down and nothing knocks the people down.
"They roll up their sleeves, they get out there and they help people."
