The road to timely, relevant and consistent flood warnings: a City of Gold Coast case study

This report is a case study of the evolution of the emergency warning system at the City of Gold Coast (Council) between 2017 and 2025. This analysis examined how a large local government systematically addressed warning system limitations through technological innovation, multi-agency collaboration and community-centred design approaches. This study contributes to understanding local government emergency and disaster management capabilities and offers transferable lessons for similar jurisdictions facing rapid-onset hazard challenges.

The report concludes by stating that the council has a clear purpose in providing timely, relevant and consistent emergency warnings. While the integrated system developed and described here was based on 5 flood warning areas, a total of 20 flood warning areas have been established and this information shared with the community via the dashboard. In the longer term, it is anticipated that more than 30 flood warning areas encompassing up to 40% of the Gold Coast region will be established. While these enhancements are an important step in the provision of emergency warnings, as technology advances, further improvements will be achieved. The analysis of ‘big data’, machine learning and rapid developments in AI will facilitate greater real-time predictive capability that can improve warnings and community safety. Flood warning areas are expected to change over time based on factors such as urban development and insights gained from rainfall events.