For many in our community the past week has been a stark reminder of the near-record floods our city faced 12 months ago.
Our Disaster Coordination Centre officially stood up on Thursday February 24 and remained operational until Sunday March 6 – this is the longest activation the centre has seen since its establishment.
The damage to our city was significant. More than 280 houses and 60 businesses were inundated but the number impacted was far greater.
Council infrastructure was also significantly impacted including 60 community facilities, 230 parks and 147 roads affected by storm or flood damage.
Not surprisingly the resilience of the people of Logan has shone through and the support and care shown for one another is remarkable.
The community has led the way in our recovery and there has been a strong determination to ‘build back better’. We knew back then that the recovery would be a marathon, and 12 months on it is still far from over. On the surface the city certainly looks like it has recovered but there is still a lot being worked through with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.
We know all too well we can’t prevent flooding, however we can prepare. As a Council we have participated in, and hosted, numerous disaster management training exercises over the last 12 months, including a multi-agency drill that modelled a catastrophic 1-in-500-year flood created by a slow-moving cyclone over the region.
Severe weather events and emergencies can happen at any time. By learning from history, we can be better prepared for the future.
I was so proud of the way in which our community mobilised to lead the recovery across the city. Once again this has highlighted how we all look out for each other when times are tough.
I also want to thank all our emergency services, community organisations, Council officers and Councillors for their support over the past year to help repair the physical and emotional damage the floods inflicted on sections of our community.
I encourage everyone to pause for a moment this week and reflect on our city’s incredible community spirit on the first anniversary of the 2022 floods.
