About 4000 Australian homes in danger of flooding, report warns

The Manly Daily (Australia): A Pittwater Council report says 4000 houses are at risk of flooding due to climate change. The report, which went before council last night, says sea level rise and an increase in storm intensity may flood several areas and affect thousands of houses.

Some 2500 residences have been identified in seven floodplains found in Great Mackerel Beach, Careel Creek in Avalon, Newport Beach, Mona Vale/Bayview, Warriewood Valley, North Narrabeen and Narrabeen Lagoon. “All these catchments and foreshore areas have current flood studies which now require reassessment incorporating climate change scenarios,” the report says.

…Pittwater Council general manager Mark Ferguson said the council will consider planning 100 years in advance. “It is problematic but the way we plan for that is to consider the design life for the buildings then try to match planning to reflect the updated studies,’’ he said. “A house is not going to stay in its current state for much more than 100 years.”

The report is also in response to the risk of legal action from home or property owners in areas of coastal risk, for which councils are not currently protected. The report says coastal land in Pittwater will be lost via beach recession and landward migration of the mean high water mark….

Locator map of Pittwater, near Sydney, created by GPD, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License