The Importance of Being Flood Aware (And Prepared) In Perth’s Eastern Regions

If you live in Perth right now there’s a good chance you’ve noticed it’s been raining quite a bit to say the least. Turns out it only took us 20 days of last month to record our wettest July in two decades, and by the time you’re reading this it’s likely we’ve just been through one of wettest months Perth’s ever recorded!

And while it makes for some pretty fantastic videos on social media, the serious side of this incredibly wet winter is the flooding that’s occurred all over the city. Importantly, it’s not just areas in the coastal plain that have had to deal with flooding, but plenty of areas to Perth’s east around the Swan and Helena Rivers that have had to brace for flooding.

Which makes the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC)’s Flood Aware Be Prepared Campaign created in collaboration with Town of Bassendean, City of Bayswater, City of Swan, City of Belmont, City of South Perth and Town of Victoria Park particularly timely, and we’re here to help spread the good word. Its focus is on the riverine flooding that occurs when heavy rainfall finds its way down creeks, rivers and into lakes causing water levels to rise and overflowing banks to inundate surrounding low-lying land.

Fortunately, it is generally predictable, with the Bureau of Meteorology regularly issuing flood warnings for many river systems, including the Swan and Helena Rivers. Not helping the situation was the Wooroloo Bushfires earlier this year in the northeast, which removed important vegetation that would normally slow down rainwater by absorption, with the burnt vegetation and charred soil blocking further and increasing the capacity for water to run across the surface.

Being Flood Aware Be Prepared and getting ahead of any issues can be a quick and easy process, outlined clearly in the video below:

For more info on how to be better prepared in case of floods, head to the Flood Aware Be Prepared WEBSITE.

Header image credit: Shutterstock / irma ferreira photography