Introduction
The country Australia most frequently appeared in the situation to witness the ruinous flood due to heavy rainfall. The inland parts of this country, including Western Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland, are the top States that have met horrible floods often. This particular report aims to analyze one of the recently occurred natural disasters in Queensland that resulted in the massive equation along with the threat of crocodile-infested water. It has subsequently explained the various aspects, including the place of the event, its legal jurisdiction, the liabilities of any parties, and lastly, the compensation that can be disbursed from the government to the affected people.
Explanation of law and its application in the current scenario
Place of event and legal jurisdiction
Recently, the coastline state Queensland of Australia witnessed a catastrophic flood on the 12th of March 2023 due to heavy rainfall over the past few days. This is one of the rainfall-prone areas in this country and also confronted challenges by dint of a series of devastating floods at the beginning of 2010 in the month of November. The department of Queensland police took the command of initiation of safety measures as the place comes under their jurisdiction. In addition, the chief executive and their local council team have also intervened in this particular backdrop.
Type of issue in the selected article
The news article that has been taken into this account regarding the Queensland flood has relevance to the environmental issue that has damaged people’s property, road erosion, infrastructure damage, and many more. Due to this unwelcoming flood, the entire population of Queensland has been affected hugely because of the displacement and breakage of the everyday lifestyle. Approximately 100 people have been evacuated, along with 97 people airlifted with the coordination and assistance of local people. The small community in Bruketown has severely faced the negative implications of this particular hazard (Slade, Theocharous, & Meacham, 2023). Moreover, the power has been taken off from the 37 households and two water pumps. On top of that, the flora and fauna of this particular place have also suffered. For example, the police department of Queensland has relieved the baby kangaroos. The local administration has also warned the people to go to their homes and also asked to put a limit on their movement because of the crocodile-infested water everywhere.
The instigator of an inquiry
The report that has been taken on this analysis has not mentioned any party’s name as an instigator, but the situation like frequent and heavy rainfall and the extensive storm moving toward Gold Coast and Brisbane. Furthermore, The Bureau of Meteorology Australia has investigated the entire situation and its future consequences. They have also detected the weather radar thunderstorm in some places, including Lake Manchester, Albany Creek, Southern Lake Wivenhoe, and Jimboomba. The office of BoM also impacts Logan, Strathfine, Cleveland, Redcliff, and some other places as well.
The liability in terms of parties in this present scenario
Floods in any place are considered a natural disaster, and there are no such parties who have single involvement in this particular situation. Still, the entire mankind is responsible for this type of situation like a flood. Australia’s different parts and states, including Queensland, have encountered various floods in the past few years caused by heavy rainfall and rapid storms coming from the coastal area. Deforestation, global warming, and Greenhouse gas emissions, along with some other factors, are the main causes of floods.
Breach of the act and relevant standards
The news article has not identified any breach of the act and relevant standards. Nevertheless, the local administration, along with the police administration, has provided great support for evacuating the people to avoid the death of people. As per the guideline of the Disaster Management Act 2003 (which comes under the legislation of Queensland), the community involved in any disaster must get attention from authorized administration to mitigate the adverse effect of the dangerous event, tackle the effects, and also provide an efficacious response on the emergency and disaster situation (legislation.qld.gov.au, 2023). The police administration has incorporated some effective measures to safely evacuate people. Aside from that, the Bureau of Meteorology has also taken responsibility for the proper investigation so that they can list the warning to stop the further negative consequence. However, this particular legislation has conferred various authorities to the various departments when it comes to disaster management. 16A under division 4A has stated the functions of chief executives for implementing the disaster management plan and also providing support to local groups. On the other hand, part 1A of this legislation has also provided the responsibilities of regular assessment and review to the office of the inspector general of emergency management. From the above analysis, the disaster management act 2003 of Queensland has not been breached by any parties.
Claims for compensation
Though there is no such compensation raised by the people who have been affected, it could happen in the future because the property of maximum people has been drowned and affected. However, section 4A of the disaster management act of 2003 has permitted support to the affected people by the local government, district groups, and state groups (disaster.qld.gov.au, 2023). As opined by qld.gov.au (2023), the people impacted by the heavy rainfall and floods will receive financial grants in order to recover the personal hardship. The Queensland comedies of Central and Northern Queensland can submit their application for acquiring Government support in this regard. First, they have to make the eligibility criteria that include the following-
- Checking the areas where the people will get the financial assistance
- Their identification number and verified email ID
- Proof of impact areas and their presence in these areas
There are four kinds of available grants that can be taken by the affected people that are-
- Emergency hardship assistance
- Essential services of reconnection and safety
- Structural assistant grant
- Essential household contents grant
Except for all that, the Federal government might also offer disaster recovery payments to certain people who are affected due to this heavy flood.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all local governments should initiate projects that can enhance green infrastructure. This is because it will eventually help the states like Queensland to improve flood resilience.
References
disaster.qld.gov.au. (2023). Retrieved March 18, 2023, from Qld.gov.au website: https://www.disaster.qld.gov.au/disaster-management-guideline
legislation.qld.gov.au. (2023). Disaster Management Act 2003. Retrieved from https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/current/act-2003-091
qld.gov.au. (2023). Northern and Central Queensland monsoon and flooding – March 2023 | Eligibility for state grants and how to apply. Retrieved March 18, 2023, from www.qld.gov.au website: https://www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/disasters/money-finance/eligibility-apply/northern-central-qld-flooding-march-2023
Slade, L., Theocharous, M., & Meacham, S. (12 C.E., March). Queensland’s deluge isn’t over yet, two major cities are now in firing line. Retrieved March 18, 2023, from www.9news.com.au website: https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-news-forecast-queensland-brisbane-sunshine-coast-gold-coast-in-for-drenching/70340df0-f685-402b-b615-c5313aed0281
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