New federal disaster agency preparing for 'high risk' flood season

Australia’s new disaster response co-ordinator, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), began operations today as weather forecasters maintain the east coast faces a “high risk” of flooding this summer.

Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt announced the establishment of NEMA with the aim of delivering a “more co-ordinated approach” to future disaster response and preparing for future hazards.

NEMA merges the former National Recovery and Resilience Agency and Emergency Management Australia “under one roof” and will work in partnership with states, territories and the Australian community.

“September 1st… marks the creation of a single disaster management agency at the federal level,” Mr Watt said.

“By bringing our key disaster agencies together, the new NEMA will transform the way the Federal Government supports the Australian people in their darkest hours and help communities respond and rebuild.

“This new agency will lead the response when disaster strikes, stand with communities in the aftermath of a disaster and help them build back better in a timely manner.”

The Insurance Council of Australia has welcomed the creation of NEMA and backed the agency’s focus on coordinated response to emergencies and preparation for future hazards in the face of climate change.

Mr Watt says the government has “deliberately” chosen the start of this month for NEMA to commence, given weather predictions of a high likelihood of La Nina – which usually brings about above-average rainfall especially in the eastern states.

“We recognise that any new organisation is going to take a little bit of time to get up and running,” Mr Watt said.

“The benefit is that [National Recovery and Resilience Agency and Emergency Management Australia] do know each other and so we’re not sort of bringing together two different functions that are completely different.

“But, as I say, we deliberately timed the commencement of this to be before we’re expecting the worst of the weather so that they are fully prepared once we do see some of that rain really hit.”

Mr Watt says there is a “high risk of further flooding in communities that have already received multiple flooding events”, based on data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

“Right now, our officials are travelling the country, meeting with their state and territory counterparts to go through their preparedness plans and identify any gaps that there might be, make sure that everyone is talking to each other well in advance of this flooding happening,” Mr Watt said.

“But I think it is likely based on the data from the [BOM], that we are going to see more flooding in some of those communities that have already been hit.”

BOM Severe Weather Meteorologist Greg Browning, who was alongside Mr Watt yesterday for the announcement of NEMA, says “we’re looking at a season that’s going to be more likely flooding will be the major impact” in the coming months.