The Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland Floods has recommended that the Brisbane City Council review building requirements for flood prone structures.

Today’s hearing focussed on the city’s design and construction standards, particularly public structures on or near the Brisbane River.

Lincoln Humphries reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Today, the flood inquiry turned its attention to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s online regional flood mapping.

A QRA official told the inquiry that the flood warning lines on their maps are not intended for public use as a comprehensive flood warning system.

He says instead, they should be viewed as just one element in a broader set of flood forecasting tools, which were not supplied to the public.

Brisbane city was the main focus of the inquiry hearings.

A council engineer told the inquiry that the Riverwalk, that was dislodged and washed out into Moreton Bay, was originally built without a third party assessment.

It will now be rebuilt, but this time with the independent third party appraisal.

The Inquiry heard today that the former Riverwalk was designed and built to withstand anywhere between a Q-100 and Q-2000 flood event, the engineers couldn’t be any more specific, but as you can see, there isn’t much left.

The council is now seeking community feedback on 5 possible designs for the new Riverwalk.

The Riverwalk and all other public riverside structures will be subject to any revised design and construction standards that might come as a result of the inquiry.

The Inquiry will continue in Brisbane for another two days. It will then move to Emerald on Thursday week.

Lincoln Humphries, QUT News.