Ai Group Head of Northern Australia Dean Deighton doesn’t have to imagine what it’s like for members experiencing the stress and anxiety of flooding in North Queensland — he’s living it.
Unfortunately, it’s a recurring nightmare; the “significant weather event” hammering Mr Deighton’s hometown of Townsville and beyond is far from unique.
“Back in 2019, I led the Townsville flood small business recovery effort for the Queensland Government’s Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT), where I was Regional Director,” Mr Deighton said.
“There’s a real sense of: ‘not again’.”
Mr Deighton has shared a first-hand account of the unfolding disaster to raise awareness of the challenges facing businesses in the North, remind members of the importance of being prepared and share resources produced by the Australian Industry Group.
“We’ve had over 1250mm rain fall in my suburb since Thursday night,” Mr Deighton emailed Brisbane colleagues on Monday.
“It’s been crazy and consistent and has literally only eased in the past hour or so.
“So much water is flowing into the Ross River dam and catchments that surrounding rivers and catchments are also rising.
“To put that into perspective, our main dam sat at 112 per cent early on Saturday morning. It’s now just below 180 per cent — and rising.”
The news was no better yesterday.
“Some are saying it’s not as bad as 2019, but the floods haven’t really hit yet — they’re expected to peak over the next two days,” Mr Deighton wrote in another update.
“Many friends have evacuated from the ‘black zone’ including those who lost everything back in 2019.
“I’m still suburb-bound, as the emergency services have asked people not to travel unless necessary.
“I’m fortunate to still have power and the Internet as I’ve presently got a full house including twin teenage grandsons whose visit has been unwittingly extended and my ailing mother-in-law, who we care for, 24/7.
“Even if we did have to evacuate, she’s too frail to do so.
“We got another 75mm overnight but not the 150-200mm expected, which is good news. That takes the rain total in my suburb since last Thursday night to over 1.2m.
“Mother Nature is not done with us yet — now the threat of inland flooding is real.
“All we can do is sit, wait and hope there’s no more torrential rain.”
“Many don’t understand the level of anxiety that exists in the city of Townsville, even when the rain eases,” Mr Deighton said.
“The devastation of the 2019 flood — the largest rainfall event over the Townsville catchment in 120 years — hugely impacted people.”
Businesses need to plan for natural disasters just as households do.
“When there’s a severe weather event in the North of Australia, most people here have a kit ready to go — documents in a waterproof folder, water, food, batteries and a charged phone,” Mr Deighton, pictured below, said.
“We do that by rote now, because we know what could happen very, very quickly.”
A business continuity plan (BCP) that can be implemented quickly and smoothly is similarly helpful.
“It can be as simple as a communication tree outlining who gets called in the event of an emergency,” Mr Deighton said.
“Make a plan that suits your business, with employees at the heart of it.”
Mr Deighton implemented a BCP when he led DESBT’s small business flood recovery in Townsville in 2019.
“My No.1 priority was making sure my staff and their families were safe, then I could concentrate on supporting businesses and working with councils and other stakeholders to roll out emergency support.”
“The Bruce Highway is cut in too many places to list, and bridges are washed away between here and Ingham,” Mr Deighton said.
“To have such a major supply chain arterial cut off so regularly, season upon season, is not acceptable.
“It’s a major supply link to the whole of the eastern seaboard.
“The Flinders Highway West is passable, with vehicles finally able to get over the Burdekin River at Macrossan Bridge. This was previously closed as well.
“While the term ‘resilience’ is often thrown around to describe people in the North, the surety of supply of goods and services into the region by an intact and reliable arterial such as the Bruce Highway would dramatically lessen the level of resilience required.”
Supermarket shelves were far from full this morning, Mr Deighton added.
Ensure you have adequate insurance to protect your business.
“Check you’re covered for both floods and rising water; read the small print,” Mr Deighton said.
“There is a difference in many insurance policies. Many businesses found this out the hard way in 2019.”
Finally, stay up to date with reliable sources of information such as Ai Group, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Queensland Small Business Commissioner (QSBC).
“Listen to what is real and relevant,” Mr Deighton said.
“If the Bureau says there’s a severe weather event coming, don't be complacent.”
Ai Group members can click here to access a range of resources to assist in planning for and responding to emergencies and connecting to available support.
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
