Those hardest hit by Logan City Council’s “flawed” flood mapping are uniting to fight the council at its own game.
Some residents are facing major premium hikes and others flatly refused insurance cover as 20,000 local properties are deemed “at risk” of flooding.
A group of these residents say they want to fight back, and have formed an action group to challenge new flood mapping they claim has potentially undermined property values and given insurance companies a reason to hike premiums.
The group, called the Logan Flood Mapping Action Group, wants to bring together professionals and people with knowledge in urban planning, insurance, property law, engineering, and policy and legislation, to show the council’s mapping is faulty and needs correction.
About 2000 people followed the group on social media in a matter of days, with dozens of residents sharing their frustrations with the flood modelling, the council, and insurance companies.
Group co-founder Hollie Morton said they would aim to amend the mapping the ‘proper way’ – not through angry protests or threats like those seen in recent weeks, but through organised and official means.
Together, the steering group will coordinate a “professional joint submission” opposing the new planning laws through the council’s official community consultation channel.
Their first meeting has been planned for Thursday this week.
Ms Morton acknowledged the need for flood mapping and regulation – to keep people safe and prevent development in flood-prone areas – however was critical of how the council implemented it.
She said mapping “one-in-2000-year” flood events was not realistic.
A local councillor agreed, comparing that level of risk to the Biblical Noah’s Arc flood.
“I think as a council we have been too cautious mapping a one-in-2000 [year flood],” Cr Natalie Willcocks said.
“State government doesn’t mandate this, it encourages us to design a fit-for-purpose approach – one that reflects local conditions and community needs.”
Ms Morton said the action group hoped to achieve a “realistic representation of the actual flooding in the area.”.
“Other councils are being more even with their mapping and taking a midline approach. That’s what we need.”
She said her son’s Woodhill property was nearly uninsurable due to the council’s flood modelling, with only one of 31 insurance companies contacted willing to insure him.
“He received a notice in 2022 that his property was now a flood zone… Consequently his home and contents insurance was cancelled by the [insurer].
“I have had quotes for up to $30,000 for insurance for his place, and because he has a mortgage he has to have insurance.
“He has a dry-running creek in the back of his property, which runs dry for 90% of the year. When it rains, they do get water in [the creek] but it has never broken the banks.”
Multiple councillors have publicly expressed their concern with the flood maps, including Cr Willcocks, Jacob Heremaia, Tony Hall and deputy mayor Scott Bannan.
Cr Willcocks at a council meeting last week called for a review of the flood mapping, saying local residents were feeling “confused, frustrated, powerless and unheard”.
“We know the flood maps are not going to go away, but we must acknowledge that these maps represent a perceived risk, not necessarily an actual one.
“And what about consistency? Each council along our rivers has apparently done or are doing a different study using different methodologies.
“And why are the priority development areas [Flagstone and Yarrabilba] assessed under the Economic Development Act 2012 framework, meaning that local floodmapping and local council overlays do not apply. Why do they have different rules?”
She said the council owed it to Logan residents to “get this right”.
“How many submissions do we need to receive to make a meaningful change to flood mapping,” she said.
“How many people need to share their story about insurance price hikes, not being able to improve their homes now or in the future, or not being able to sell their homes? How much evidence do residents need to provide to support their concerns?”
Logan City Council has invited residents to submit their ideas through the official channel -logan.qld.gov.au/loganplan.
Mayor Jon Raven has also asked residents with hiked insurance premiums to forward their quotes onto his office, which will forward them onto the Insurance Council of Australia.
