New Flood Management and Warning System for South Australia
20 October 2017
SA Governemnt: A new flood monitoring system (FloodMon) which can help predict flash-flooding is set to revolutionise the way authorities manage the risk of flood impacts across the State.
FloodMon combines near real-time data, such as rain and water level gauge readings, with forecast information like rain radars to help emergency managers assess conditions, predict flash flooding and issue warnings.
Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton says the system will be a great benefit to our emergency services responding to flood incidents and will improve safety for anyone in a flood prone area during a massive rain event.
Background
FloodMon is a collaborative project between the South Australian State Emergency Service (SASES), the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR), and the Commonwealth-State Disaster Resilience Program.
FloodMon is a cloud based system which will be available to flood emergency managers in state and local government.
It uses data from federal, state and local governments, as well as private industry and is able to issue automated alerts to emergency managers on data such as rainfall intensity and the rate of rise of watercourses.
During flood emergencies, specialist DEWNR hydrology staff working in the SASES State Control Centre will use FloodMon to interpret near-real time and historical flood information to identify emerging flood threats and provide advice to the SASES for community information and warnings.
Quotes attributable to Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton
Flood is a costly and dangerous natural hazard and the FloodMon project will be enormously beneficial for authorities who monitor and respond to incidents across the State.
By providing emergency services with more information about potential flash-flooding, we hope to stay ahead of the consequences of massive rain events.
Access to flood information is critical for emergency services to undertake effective response and to be able to inform the community through public warnings so that they can be better prepared.
FloodMon will enable first responders to better allocate resources, provide more timely warnings to the community and have a whole-of-state common operating picture for storm and flood events.
Quotes attributable to Environment Minister Ian Hunter
FloodMon is a decision support tool which takes all available data from rain gauges, water level gauges, rain radar and forecast rainfall products and displays it with historical context in a user-friendly web application.
FloodMon brings together data from a range of sources including the Bureau of Meteorology, DEWNR, SA Water, councils and private organisations. This is the first time all of this data has been available in the one location in near real-time.
The partnership between SASES and DEWNR is an example of two agencies sharing their expertise to improve public safety.
Quotes attributable to SES Chief Officer Chris Beattie
FloodMon will markedly enhance the flood response capability of the South Australian State Emergency Service and other first responders and will complement other SES operational systems.
SES staff, in conjunction with staff from DEWNR, the flood hazard leader, will continue to develop and enhance the system over the next few years.
This will involve considerable ongoing liaison with a range of organisations including the Bureau of Meteorology, local councils, stormwater management authorities and SA Water to ensure it continues to meet the public safety needs of the community.
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Source: South Australian Government - www.premier.sa.gov.au
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