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Articles on Queensland floods

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Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Governments love to talk about ‘shared responsibility’ in a disaster – but does anyone know what it means?

There is a huge amount of legislation talking about ‘shared responsibility’ but it isn’t clear what this means or who needs to do what and when.
AAP Image/Supplied by the Department of Defence, Bradley Richardson

People could’ve prepared for the floods better if the impacts of weather forecasts were clearly communicated

Improved warnings are unlikely to protect houses, but it means people can prepare – they can move possessions, reach vulnerable loved ones and evacuate in a timely manner.
A ‘stuck’ monsoonal system dumped a year’s worth of rainfall on Townsville in just a week. AAP Image/Dave Acree

How climate change can make catastrophic weather systems linger for longer

What do the recent Townsville floods and Tasmanian heatwave have in common? Both were caused by weather systems that stayed put for days or weeks on end. And global warming could worsen that trend.
Journalists with the skills to dig into social media can discover connections between key players in complex, often global stories. Mathias Rosenthal via www.shutterstock.com

How social media is helping Australian journalists uncover stories hidden in plain sight

From a social media post that cracked open a decades-old abuse scandal in the UK and Australia, through to tracking asylum seekers, social media can be vital in breaking investigative news stories.
While firefighters battled widespread fires in New South Wales in October 2013, hundreds of thousands of people turned to social media and smartphone apps for vital updates. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Crisis communication: saving time and lives in disasters through smarter social media

When disaster strikes, more people than ever are turning to social media to find out if they’re in danger. But Australian emergency services need to work together more to learn what works to save lives.
Floodwater plumes, like this one in Moreton Bay, do less damage to reefs that are in marine reserves. Healthy Waterways/supplied

Marine reserves saved coral reefs from Queensland floods

Marine reserves are a hot topic in Australia, with federal and state governments debating whether to allow recreational fishers to take fish from within their boundaries. But new research demonstrates…
The swollen Fitzroy River in Queensland, Australia, where heavy rains in early 2011 led to extraordinary regrowth with a global impact. Capt. W. M. & Tatters/Flickr

Record rains made Australia a giant green global carbon sink

Record-breaking rains triggered so much new growth across Australia that the continent turned into a giant green carbon sink to rival tropical rainforests including the Amazon, our new research shows…
Australia is hanging on to flood mitigation measures that other countries have left behind. AAP Image/Pamela Blackburn

Three major floods, four reviews, but still lessons to learn

The last few years provided plenty of data to help us reform our approach to floods. With devastating flooding in Queensland and Victoria in 2011 and 2013, we should have learned a great deal about which…

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