Riverine flooding, flash flooding and coastal inundation information for Kingston Beach – promenalinah / Browns River, Kingston and surrounds

Draft for community input – please email ses@ses.tas.gov.au .

Kingston Beach areas around Browns River can flood during high rainfall events.

Some areas along Whitewater Creek can also flood.

Stormwater run-off/ overland flow can also affect some areas around Kingston in storm events.  Parts of Blackmans Bay are prone to stormwater run-off / flash flooding

Coastal inundation can flood low-lying areas near the coast, during storm events especially at high tide.

There is often coastal storm surge at the same time as flooding from rivers, causing greater water levels near river mouths.

The maps in this guide show the level of riverine flooding that has a 1% chance of happening any year along with possible storm surge and high tides. Riverine flooding is when rivers burst their banks. You are likely to experience flooding such as that shown in the maps in your lifetime. Tasmanians need to prepare for flood events that may not happen often as well as minor flooding they may have experienced.

See the Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps to view the flood maps in more detail.

Even if your home is not inundated, you should be prepared for power and telecommunications outages. Depending on where the rain falls and how heavy it is, access roads may be impassable. Travel in the area is likely to be difficult or impossible until roads are clear.  If you are safe at home or elsewhere, it is usually best if you stay where you are until the flooding subsides, unless there is an emergency. If you need to evacuate, you should leave early, before flood waters rise.

Are you at risk of flood?

Browns River at Kingston has a long history of flooding. Local historians identify at least 21 major flood events between 1847 and 2015. The area often has minor flooding. 

The 2018 Southern Tasmania Extreme Weather Event caused considerable damage from stormwater runoff around Kingston, including the Kingston central business area.

What should I do?

• Check the map to see whether your home or business could flood.
• Assess your home or business and prepare it to minimise possible flood damage.
• Check if you can safely get to your home, work, or school during a flood.
• Prepare a Home Emergency Plan. See Get Ready for Emergencies – A guide for individuals and households to prepare for emergencies . 
• If you may be isolated and you must have access to services, you may need to evacuate early.

Floods like the one shown in the map, or worse, will occur again. No two floods are the same. If you live in a low-lying area or near a watercourse, your house may flood. Even if your home is safe, you may need to detour around flooded areas or your road access may be cut. Never drive into or enter flood waters. Roads and bridges may be washed out or unsafe. Avoid travel during floods.

Knowing what to do can save your life and help protect your property. Having a Home Emergency Plan is one of the best ways to prepare. Decide on weather and rainfall triggers for when to act.

Bureau of Meteorology Forecasts, Warnings, and Observations

The Bureau issues a Flood Warning, Severe Weather Warning and/or Thunderstorm Warning for heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding whenever heavy rain is expected in an area. The time between the warning and heavy rain occurring can vary from an hour to 24 hours or more.

There are no river level flood warnings for Browns River- the short catchment means river gauge information would not provide enough warning time.

Rainfall Observations at Mt Wellington / kunanyi, Longley, Hobart and other nearby rain gauges can indicate possible flood risks. Given the very short warning times, it is best to act on the predictive Bureau warnings rather than wait for any flood alerts during rainfall.

The Mt Koonya Radar is useful to be aware in real-time where heavy rainfall is falling.  Radar Rainfall estimates can also fill in gaps in areas where there are no rainfall stations.

Understand the warnings and key information

Keep aware of what is happening around you. Check forecasts, observations and warnings regularly.

• TasALERT.com
• your local ABC radio station or
• the Bureau of Meteorology’s website.

	Advice (Yellow): an incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.
	Watch and Act (Orange): There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family
	Emergency Warning (Red): An Emergency Warning is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.
	Community update (Blue): Specific information and updates for affected communities regarding a particular event or incident.
	Incident (White): an incident is the initial occurrence of an event before it becomes an emergency warning. As soon as an incident is reported, TasALERT published basic information including the type and location of incident.

Flood levels

While no two floods are the same, the following describes what you can expect at different flood levels around the area. Even if your property is not flooded, you need to think about access. Different levels of rainfall can cause flooding depending on its intensity, duration and how wet the ground is beforehand and where the rain falls.

Minor flooding

Minor flooding can inundate parts of the Kingston golf course and low-lying parkland along rivers. This type of flooding can happen on average every 5 years or more (20% chance of happening any year or more).

Moderate flooding

A moderate flooding event can inundate riverside parklands and low-lying backyards and streets.  Some homes and other buildings may start to flood, particularly along:

• Beach Road near the river and Balmoral Road in Kingston Beach, and
• Lester Court in Kingston. 

Storm water, water and sewerage systems may be impacted.

This level of flooding has about a 5%-20% chance of happening any year (AEP – annual exceedance probability). Weather systems with heavy rain can cause storm surge, coastal inundation and coastal erosion. Flooding is most likely around high tide at Kingston Beach.

Major flooding

Major flooding with a 1% chance of happening any year could impact about 250 homes, businesses and other buildings in the area, particularly if there is storm surge and coastal inundation.  Areas that could flood include:

Kingston Beach

• Many properties along Beach Road
• Properties along Balmoral Road near the salt marshes
• Beach Road South side and Recreation Street surrounds
• Kingston
• Channel Highway near Browns Road, and properties on Browns Road near Channel Highway. Huon Highway near Goshawk Way can also flood.
• Other Firthside low-lying areas. The nearby Southern Outlet may be cut, depending where and how heavy rain falls.
• Some properties along O’Connor Drive, Whitewater Crescent and Lester Court along Whitewater Creek.
• While Kingborough Council have completed flood mitigation works around Kingston CBD, there may still be some flooding after very heavy intense rain
• Some isolated properties along Summerleas Road and Groningen Road, including some creek crossings and driveways.
• There can be stormwater run-off in other places if there is heavy rain.

Blackmans Bay

• Low-lying properties around Pearce Avenue / Roslyn Ave/ Wells Parade/ Ocean Esplanade and on Blowhole Road can be prone to flooding.
• Stormwater run-off can affect many places if there is sudden heavy rain.
• Taroona/ Bonnet Hill, Howden and Tinderbox do not have significant flood risk mapped.  However, Howden Road may be cut for a short time if there is very heavy rain.

Know your risk, get ready, reduce risk where you can, connect with others, stay alert and act safe.

Before a flood

1. Know your risk

Flooding often happens in Tasmania and can cause widespread and significant damage. In the past 200 years there have been 78 flood related deaths in Tasmania. This guide is to help you understand flood risk in your area.

2. Prepare your household

Have an emergency plan that covers storms and floods

Thinking about what you would do in a storm or flood means you are more prepared and everyone is safer. Have an emergency plan that everyone in your household understands. There are checklists to help you think through your plan – see Get Ready for Emergencies – A guide for individuals and households to prepare for emergencies. 
Check your plan regularly and test it by everyone in the household thinking through a flooding scenario that may affect your household.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Regularly test batteries in radios and torches.

3. Reduce your risk from flooding where you can

• Think about storms, flooding and other hazards when buying, maintaining or developing property.
• Trim or remove trees and branches overhanging your home, business or near powerlines on your property.
• Keep your gutters and drains clear.

4. Connect with others

Know your neighbours and get involved in your community.  A connected community is a safer and more resilient community in an emergency and can help everyone recover better afterwards. Check that family and neighbours are safe and aware of what’s happening.

See for example the Huon Valley Good Neighbour project.

During

5. Keep up to date

Keep aware of what is happening around you. Check forecasts, observations and warnings regularly. 

• TasALERT 
• your local ABC radio station or
• the Bureau of Meteorology’s website.

6. Act Safe

• Supervise children.
• Prepare for possible power, water or internet outages.
• Check your emergency kit is ready to go.
• Keep clear of flooded areas such as drains. NEVER walk, play, ride or drive in floodwater. You can’t always see what is under the water or how deep or fast-moving the water is. It is easy to be swept away and drown in as little as 20cm of fast-moving water. Flood water can be dangerous.

When your home may be flooded

• Put household items up high to minimise possible damage.
• Turn off the electricity and gas if it is safe to do so. 
• A great way to stop sewerage flowing back into your home is to place sandbags inside plastic bags and use them to block toilets and cover drains and sinks.
• Leave while you can get out safely.

If you need to evacuate

• Follow the advice from SES / Tasmania Police.  
• Take your emergency kit. 
• Go to friends or family in a safer place or an evacuation centre. 
• Let others know where you have gone.

Look after your animals

You are responsible for your animals in an emergency. If you have pets and other animals it will take you longer to evacuate in a flood or other emergency. Move livestock from flood prone areas well before flood waters may rise.  For more information see

• RSPCA’s guidance on preparing for animals in an emergency
• Huon Valley Council’s advice on preparing an emergency pet plan
• the Primary producer farm flood readiness toolkit.

Avoid travelling during storms and after storms

• Do not go sightseeing. Sightseers delay emergency services and cause accidents.
• Watch out for hazards such as
  • water over roads
  • damaged powerlines
  • landslides
  • damaged roads
  • falling trees or roofing iron.
• Never drive through flood waters. Most deaths and rescues in floods are from people driving through flood waters.
• Drive slowly and turn your headlights on roads not affected by flood waters.

After

• Keep listening for ABC Local Radio updates, road re-openings, community meetings, etc.
• If you left your home, do not return home until SES or Tasmania Police tell you it is safe to do so.
• Be aware of road hazards, such as mud or debris on the road, damaged roads/bridges and crews working on clean-up and repairs.

If your home has been damaged

• Stay at ground level while checking for damage. Be careful of fallen trees, broken glass, loose roofing or other hazards.
• Wear strong boots, gloves and protective clothes. 
• Use a torch, never use matches or candles inside flood affected buildings. 
• Boil all drinking water until you are told the tap water is safe again.
• Do not turn on it is tested by a licensed electrician or gas fitter for safety.
• If your home is damaged and you need to stay somewhere else, take your emergency kit and pets with you
• Take photos of any damage if safe for you to do so and contact your insurance company.
• Supervise children.
• Check neighbours are okay.

For further information go to www.ses.tas.gov.au

Staying informed and further information

ses.tas.gov.au

Current warnings (TasAlerts) alerts.tas.gov.au

Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)

Emergency Broadcasters ABC 936AM

TASSES Social Media – facebook.com/sestasmania

National Relay Service (NRS) relayservice.gov.au

Kingborough Council www.kingborough.tas.gov.au        6211 8200

Disclaimer

The maps show potential flooding risks from consistent levels of rainfall across catchments, such as a 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP).  In flooding events, rainfall is likely to be more inconsistent across a catchment, so these flood maps should be considered indicative only.  The mapped areas of flood risk show higher probability of inundation. Other areas have lower probability of flooding, but in severe and rare events (rarer than 1%AEP), other lower areas may be also at risk of inundation.

The information in this guide is current at the date of publication. While every effort has been taken to ensure the validity and accuracy of the data presented, the State Emergency Service does not take responsibility for data error or omission. Please see the standard Tasmanian Government’s Copyright and Disclaimer Statement for more details.