Floods like those of August 1998 will happen again, Wollongong City Council says, in an animation proclaiming that “It’s not a matter of if it’ll happen again, but when”.
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Marking the 20th anniversary of the downpour which turned streets in many suburbs into rivers, cut off roads and flooded homes, the council has made an animation, explaining why Wollongong is flood prone.
“The combination of the steep escarpment and flat coastal plains means we regularly get flash flooding where the water rises quickly,” the video explains.
It says fast-flowing water can lift heavy objects, which can block the flow of water in drains and cause flood waters to rise higher.
Showing graphics of swamped city streets, with only the roofs of cars visible, the council says a flood can peak in less than two hours after the start of rain.
The council also declares a third of all properties in Wollongong are at risk of flooding, noting that even houses which have never flooded may be at risk.
To combat this, the council says it has done studies to “find out where it floods, and by how much, what the risks are and what kind of damage might occur”.
Managing these risks includes putting in place land zone restrictions and development controls, and buying back and bulldozing flood prone homes.
Despite this, and the “millions of dollars each year” it spends on flood and storm infrastructure, the council concludes the video with a warning.
“Nature is very unpredictable and floods can occur at any time,” it said. “It’s not possible to stop them entirely but the work we do does help reduce the impact.”