Flood risk management for caravan parks in New South Wales

A survey of 71 caravan parks in coastal NSW indicates a high exposure to flooding. Most parks in NSW are flood-prone. A growing number of long-tern residents in the 1980s, and essentially immovable manufactured homes in the 1990s, significantly increased flood risk. However, many parks are ill-equipped to deal with flooding: a high turnover of park managers means that most have no direct experience of floods; attitudes of denial prevail; most parks have no means of raising community flood awareness; and the process of flood response planning is patchy and of poor quality. Key strategies for the reduction of flood risk are suggested, including a more rigorous implementation of tighter regulations that better guard the health and safety of park residents, and the equipping of park managers to self-manage risk.