Natural Hazards
To view Natural Hazard mapping layers for bushfire, flood and storm tides, or landslides visit the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
Bushfire
Lamb Island has predominantly low to moderate bushfire risk areas across the island, with a single patch of very high bushfire risk restricted to an area of bushland with limited surrounding residential development. Hazard reduction burning and maintenance of fire lines is helping to alleviate the impacts of unplanned fires and prevent them from developing to a point where it is likely to become uncontrollable.
Properties adjacent to bushland areas may be at risk of ember attack should there be a bushfire in the vicinity. During a wildfire, embers can travel up to 3km in front of a fire line which means residents need to be vigilant and be prepared. For more information about bushfire preparedness and what to do during a bushfire, visit the Queensland Fire Department website to create your Bushfire Survival Plan https://bushfire-survival-plan.qfes.qld.gov.au/
Flood Prone, Storm Tide
Flood prone, storm tide and drainage constrained land mapping indicates the primary area of storm tide inundation may occur in the north of the island from Goodsell Crescent to Sweet Avenue and along Perulpa Drive to Boxwood Avenue. Fortunately, there is no residential development in this area, the only facility that may be impact is the island’s refuse station. There is also a small area of potential tidal inundation and drainage constrained land at the southern end of Paula and Helen Parade where they meet Edgewater Place. There are a handful of residential developments that may be affected in this area.
Landslide
Landslide hazard mapping identifies the majority of Lamb Island has low to no landslide risk, with limited areas of high to very high landslide risk contained to the island’s coast line, particularly on the north eastern side of the island. There is some residential development in these areas that is regulated under the Redland City Plan to comply with the requirements of the Landslide Hazard Overlay which aims to mitigate against the risk of landslide.
Critical Infrastructure
Critical infrastructure on the islands at the time of a disaster event includes utilities such as power, water, sewerage and telecommunications, and water transportation including ferry and barge services. Impacts of a disaster on these services may have far-reaching long-term effects for island communities.
Sewage
The sewer network operated by Redland City Council covers Coochiemudlo Island, parts of Dunwich, and Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island. Those parts of Dunwich, Point Lookout and Amity Point not serviced by the sewer network utilise septic systems, as does all of the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI).
Many of the newer homes, businesses and the primary schools on Russell and Macleay Islands use modern sewerage treatment systems that require power to operate. Therefore during extended periods of power outage the toilets are unable to be utilised or risk failure if used. This limits the number of community buildings that can be used as evacuation centres during a disaster event.
Many of the RCC sewage pumping stations have fixed generators onsite to provide backup power in the event of a power failure. Those that do not have fixed generators have the facilities to plug in a portable generator; several are available that can be taken to any site that requires it.
The most serious effect of a failing sewerage system is the potential for highly infectious diseases to occur including dysentery and hepatitis. Mosquitoes and flies that spread a number of other illnesses can breed in areas where liquid waste reaches the surface. There are also risks to the natural environment including the health of waterways and Moreton Bay.
Water
Water can be supplied to Russell Island via either North Stradbroke Island or the mainland. From Russell Island, the supply is then piped via Karragarra Island to Lamb Island and then onto Macleay Island. The water supply for Coochiemudlo Island is also piped directly from the mainland. The mainland water supply is connected to the SEQ water grid and therefore the risk of the water supply failing is extremely low. However the islands of Karragarra, Lamb, Macleay and Coochiemudlo only have one connecting pipeline. When one of these pipelines fails there will be a loss of supply and emergency supply measures will be put in place.
The North Stradbroke Island townships of Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout source their water supplies directly from the bore fields located on North Stradbroke Island (stored in reservoirs at each township) and again the risk of the water supply failing is extremely low.
Electricity
The electricity supply, provided by Energex to the SMBI and North Stradbroke Island, comes via Russell Island. The supply originates on the mainland north of Cabbage Tree Point and crosses the Western Boating Channel, connecting to the southern end of Russell Island at Rocky Point, then continues north through the centre of Russell Island before branching off to service North Stradbroke Island and Karragarra Island. The electricity supply from Karragarra Island then connects to Macleay Island which in turn is connected to Lamb Island.
This sequence of connections highlights the importance of Russell Island to the electricity supply for SMBI and North Stradbroke Island. There is a substation on Russell Island to assist in ensuring the power supply to Russell Island is more robust and with less power fluctuations. There are a number of transformer connection points on Macleay Island which enables Energex to use generators to supply power to Macleay, Karragarra and Lamb Islands in the event of a major power failure; however this would be a reduced supply. There are also generator connection points on North Stradbroke Island which can provide reduced backup supply to Dunwich, Point Lookout and Amity Point.
The main line that crosses to the southern end of Russell Island is strung on concrete poles high above the ground in a relatively inaccessible area of moderate to high bushfire risk. If the line was impacted by bushfire, Energex would restore the line as quickly as possible given the population on SMBI and North Stradbroke Island.
Energex offer a notification service for Emergency and Planned outages, and other alerts such as upcoming meter read if dogs are onsite or for certain customer service work requests. Click here to go to the Energex Notifications page to Register for this notification service.
The electricity supply to Coochiemudlo Island comes via an underwater line from the Victoria Point reserve at the end of Colburn Avenue and connects to the western tip of the island near the golf club. The line runs underground until it meets the established road network and as such has limited impact from bushfire, tidal surge or flood hazards.
Telecommunications
Landline access to North Stradbroke Island and SMBI is via a microwave link from the mainland to exchanges on the islands. The exchanges on North Stradbroke Island are located at each of the three townships of Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout, and the SMBI exchanges are located on Russell and Macleay Islands. Coochiemudlo Island is connected via a submarine cable that runs from the Victoria Point exchange to the island.
The exchanges on North Stradbroke Island and SMBI require electricity to operate and all have battery back-up systems that operate for a limited period of time. During extended periods of power outage Telstra have generators that can be deployed from the mainland to provide additional capacity. Telstra also have other resources such as a mobile exchange, mobile satellite coverage and mobile base station that can be deployed if required.
There are no mobile phone towers located on SMBI or Coochiemudlo Island; coverage is from towers on the mainland and North Stradbroke Island. Mobile phone towers on North Stradbroke Island are located in each of the three townships which provide good coverage over these areas. The Amity Point tower also has a radio link to Karingal on the southern end of Moreton Island. There are mobile coverage black spots in the non-township areas, beach camping areas, and predominantly in the southern end of North Stradbroke Island and some parts of SMBI.
Other telecommunication issues that could impact the community during periods of power outage include cordless landline phones and access to the internet, both of which require power to operate. With more people using their mobile phones to access the Internet, more pressure is being placed on the capacity of the mobile network.
Connection to the National Broadband Network (NBN) is now available across the majority of Australia, with various connection types for both wired (copper, fibre optic, and hybrid fibre-coaxial) and radio (satellite and fixed wireless). It is important to know the type of connection you have; fibre to the building (FTTB), fibre to the curb (FTTC), fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the premises (FTTP), or hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), there is also satellite or fixed wireless. The majority of connections are FTTN and FTTP, closely followed by HFC.
It is important to note that any equipment connected via the NBN will not work during a power outage, including VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones. For more information about what happens in a power blackout for the type of connection at your residence, please go to https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/what-happens-in-a-power-blackout. Certain connection types can request battery back-up solutions through their internet service provider; battery back-up is required for all Priority Assistance customers who suffer from a diagnosed life-threatening illness.
If you have a medical alarm, emergency call button, autodialler, security alarm, monitored fire alarm or lift emergency phones at your premises, please contact your equipment provider to confirm whether your equipment will work via the network in the event of a power outage. Further information is also available on the NBN website and how to register these devices; this assists the NBN in identifying premises where support maybe be required to minimise service outages https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/device-compatibility.
Road Network
North Stradbroke Island is accessible by vehicle barge, passenger water taxi or private boat and the three townships of Dunwich, Amity and Point Lookout are connected by sealed roads. There is a public bus service on the island that operates between the passenger ferries in Dunwich, travelling to Amity Point and Point Lookout. Taxi services are limited, however some Clubs offer a courtesy bus. There are a number of inland tracks that are only accessible by 4WD, and the island has two sandy beaches that you can drive on with a 4WD permit; Flinders Beach and Main Beach (permits can be purchased through Minjerribah Camping).
Driving on sand is different to driving on hard surfaces, stay alert and ensure you are familiar with sand-driving techniques; only travel at low tide, drive on the harder sand, do not park or drive in the water or dunes, and remember to slow down for other beach users and wildlife. Beach driving rules are the same as driving on a public road. QLD Police conduct regular speed checks and random breath testing on the beaches as well as the sealed roads.
REMEMBER: If it’s flooded, forget it – BACK IT UP!
Summer months bring rain, cyclones and unstable weather conditions to Queensland. Our weather can change quickly and be unforgiving. Here in Queensland driving into floodwater is the number one cause of flood-related deaths. Cars are designed to keep us safe on the road but once you hit water, it becomes a completely different story. It doesn’t matter what car you drive, or how good you are at driving – as soon as you enter floodwater, your car can’t protect you. It can happen anywhere – roads, creeks, dams, parks or backyards. Residents should be aware of the dangers connected to floodwater or swift flowing water such as: slippery surfaces; uneven ground; strong currents; sharp objects; electrical current; fences; vehicles; rocks; long grass; tree branches; sewerage; and chemicals.
If you get trapped in floodwater, you not only put your life and the lives of the people with you at risk, but you also put the rescuers lives at risk too.
Localised flooding may temporarily restrict access and cut roads in some areas of Redland City. Please consider this when planning to drive during periods of heavy rain. See a list of the areas that may be impacted by localised flooding.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Plan ahead, check out the If it’s flooded, forget it website here https://www.getready.qld.gov.au/FloodedForgetIt, and keep yourself, family and friends safe.
Floodwater Safety information also available here https://www.fire.qld.gov.au/prepare/floodwater-safety
Water Transportation
North Stradbroke Island, Coochiemudlo Island and SMBI are all accessible via vehicle barge and passenger ferry, departing from Toondah Harbour, Victoria Point and Weinam Creek Marina respectively. Along with the barge and ferry service to SMBI, Bay Island Transit System (BITS) also operates the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) boat Kitty Kat from Russell Island. The QAS boat is available 24/7 and an arrangement is already in place to transport Energex staff to SMBI in an emergency, if Kitty Kat is not required for patient transport.
The passenger ferries are designed to operate in rough seas and therefore the size of the waves in the bay or the strength of the wind is unlikely to stop the ferries from running – high winds are more of an issue for the vehicle barges. However, the safety of passengers as they board and depart from the passenger ferries and visibility during heavy fog or torrential rain does determine whether the passenger ferries will operate. The passenger ferries are able to land directly onto the island’s foreshores if the jetty or pontoons were damaged or destroyed. The main safety consideration in doing this is the loading and unloading of passengers.
Severe weather and floating debris can hinder the ability of water transport to operate, requiring services to cease until it is safe. This can impact residents’ access to mainland services and supplies. It is recommended island residents ensure they have an adequately stocked emergency kit, with 5-7 days supply of food, water, medications etc.