2012 – The Provision of Engineering Advice for the Emergency Management of the Nathalia Floods, March 2012

P C Styles, A L Garrard

The Victorian town of Nathalia was surrounded by flood water during the March 2012 floods in Northern Victoria.

Nathalia is protected by earthen levees of various sizes and age. Portable aluminium levees were installed during the March 2012 flood event, generally in areas where a permanent levee would restrict access to a park and views. The flood level came within 200mm of the crest of many of the levees and remained at a high level for nearly 2 weeks.

The paper describes the emergency management issues and procedures which relied on engineering advice to provide targeted and relevant remedial works on the levee system as potential problems arose. Engineers worked alongside the SES, CFA, Victoria Police, ADF and other volunteers to monitor, repair and reinforce the levee system on a 24 hour basis. The engineering support continued over a period of approximately 2 weeks, from the time the flood waters commenced rising until they had receded sufficiently for the orders for evacuation of the town to be rescinded.

Keywords: Nathalia, floods, levees, emergency management