Flood Damage Reconstruction Works

The flood recovery works is jointly funded by the Australian Government and Queensland Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). This funding provides disaster relief and recovery payments and infrastructure restoration to help communities recover from the effects of natural disasters and terrorist acts. In Queensland, this program is managed on a whole-of-government basis by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA).

Council will endeavor to ensure the roads are in a trafficable state as soon as possible after an event. This may take some time as council will need to identify damage to essential public assets throughout the entire road network. All damages are then prioritised based on the risk to road users.

Residents are urged to check councils disaster dashboard for all road closure updates.

Emergency works are urgent activities undertaken immediately following an eligible disaster to temporarily restore an essential public asset. The goal is to enable the asset to operate at an acceptable level of efficiency, supporting the immediate recovery of the community.

These works are temporary in nature and are at high risk of re-damage.

Yes, Emergency Works will make the road trafficable. However, these are only temporary repairs, and residents are urged to drive to conditions and follow all temporary signage.

Emergency Works are prioritised based on:

• The risk to road users
• Whether temporary signage can be used to manage hazards
• The availability of resources

Before commencing permanent reconstruction works, Council must:

• Assess all damage to essential public assets
• Identify and document damage sites
• Submit funding applications to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) for approval

Without the necessary approvals, Council could be responsible for covering the full cost of reconstruction.

• Emergency Works focus on making roads passable and safe but may not restore them to normal standards.
• Due to the widespread damage after an event, resources are often stretched, and construction crews may be split into multiple teams to expedite repairs.
• Emergency Works use temporary materials, such as maintenance gravel, rather than long-term solutions like resheeting gravel.
• Permanent works require full reconstruction, appropriate equipment (e.g., rollers, water carts), and higher-quality materials for durability.

Councils perform emergency works to quickly re-establish functionality of essential public assets, ensuring public safety and facilitating immediate community recovery after a disaster. These temporary measures address critical issues until permanent reconstruction can be implemented.

Following the completion of emergency works, councils assess the damage to essential public assets and develop detailed plans for permanent reconstruction. Funding applications are submitted to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) for approval under the DRFA. Once approved, permanent works commence to restore assets to their pre-disaster condition or better.

Funding applications are grouped into submissions based on geographical areas to help manage cash flow between project completion and reimbursement from QRA.

The timing of permanent works depends on:

• Approval of funding submissions
• High-risk projects that pose safety concerns or risks of further damage
• Availability of resources
• Whether design work is required

Reconstruction funding applies only to essential public assets within the road reserve. Private property damage is not eligible for reimbursement under these guidelines.