Works are well underway to repair and rehabilitate foreshore areas damaged by the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Redland City Mayor and Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) chair Jos Mitchell said crews had been working across several areas on the mainland and islands to manage erosion issues and land slippages.
“With more than 335 kilometres of coastline on Redlands Coast, severe weather events always bring the risk of impacts to exposed foreshore areas,” the Mayor said.
“During the cyclone we had the added complexity of higher tides and storm surge, both of which contributed to foreshore damage.
“Council takes erosion and land slip management very seriously and ensured that, as soon as it was safe to do so, crews were deployed to make these areas safe for the community.
“Effective management of erosion issues also prevents the risk of damage to surrounding assets and helps to preserve the natural beauty of our coastal areas.”
Council currently is overseeing two Shoreline Erosion Management Plans (SEMP) – Coochiemudlo Island SEMP and Amity Point SEMP on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah).
Both arose from the findings of the Coastal Adaptation Strategy: Part 1 – Current Erosion in 2016 report and are part of Council’s ongoing shoreline erosion mitigation actions.
Through the SEMP, an area’s erosion hotspots are identified, and recommendations are made on the most suitable management options to help protect against coastal erosion.
Deputy Mayor and Disaster Recovery Group chair Julie Talty said crews responded to a land slippage at Redland Bay where a large volume of soil had fallen from the slope and on to the path below.
“Council crews worked quickly to remove the debris from the path to ensure safety and accessibility for the public,” Cr Talty said.
“Soil and debris from the landslip that reached the beach will be cleared away as well.
“The slope remains off limits to the public as Council works to establish a long-term engineering solution for the site to ensure it is more resilient to future severe weather events.”
There are numerous locations across Redlands Coast prone to naturally occurring landslips. Council has a publicly available mapping system that identifies these areas. Go to City Plan – Landslide Hazard Overlay | RCC Open Data