Workers from the City of Launceston spent some time getting to grips with Bauer floodgates on the Charles Street Bridge.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The exercise was months in the making, and even drew a small crowd as inquisitive residents came to watch the rehearsal for the next major flood.
Here's what goes on to ensure the city is prepared for natural disasters.
An ounce of prevention
The drill, which is one of several held at regular intervals, served two purposes.
Dam compliance engineer Maggie Gilligan said regular drills helped train new and old staff, but also made sure when the time came to deploy the floodgates there were no nasty surprises.
"We're making sure all our staff are prepared and trained up so we're ready to go at any given time," Ms Gilligan said.
"We also want to make sure that the flood gates themselves are still in good condition, that there's no defects or nothing's broken or needs replacing."
All parts of the city's flood defences are serviced periodically, however Ms Gilligan said the Bauer flood gates on the bridge were the most noticeable as the activity required road closures.
A ring of iron
The low-lying areas of the city rely on more than 12km of earth and concrete levies to keep floodwaters at bay, with 19 floodgates spread throughout to seal any gaps like where roads pass through the walls.
Unlike the rolling floodgates which remain embedded in the levees, the Bauer floodgates are stored in pieces at the council's Mowbray depot.
Once transported to the bridge, council workers unload the pieces and bolt them to plates fixed into the bridge itself.
Ms Gilligan said each gate type had advantages and disadvantages, as although rolling gates were easier to deploy over short distances, the Bauer gates were better-suited to wide gaps and could still be deployed at short notice.
"The Bauer gates are really good for these road crossings because they can cover a large space," she said.
"Once we actually get started it takes maybe an hour, or an hour and a half to assemble and dissemble. That's fairly rapid.
"In training we might take a little bit longer, but in a flood event we can get them up really fast if we need to."
There are also several penstocks - metal gates that are used to prevent floodwater backing up through the stormwater system - and high-volume pumps which can drain flooded areas once the penstocks close.
Ready for anything
Although frequent, flooding is not the only natural disaster the council has its eye on.
Emergency management advisor Lynda Robins said emergency readiness did not just account for the natural disasters that were historically common, but also those that were looming on the horizon.
"The two biggest risks for the City of Launceston floods, which are number one, and then bushfires," Ms Robins said.
"With climate change, there are also other risks that we've got to start to consider which are heatwaves, and pandemics which we've just gone through.
"We are a city that is prone to different emergencies, but the two biggest ones are flood and fire."
There have been more than 40 major flooding events in Launceston since records began.
Ms Robins said the council worked closely with major stakeholders in the case of a natural disaster, including emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology.
"We work really closely with the response management authority for flooding, which is the SES - they take the lead," she said.
READ MORE: Thumbs up given to six-month jail sentence
"We also have a really good relationship with the Bureau of Meteorology so we get intelligence in and around what that forecast weather and rain looks like. We can interpret a few days out what that event may be.
"That's the case, we'll internally stand up a team and they'll be dedicated towards that."
As well as an incident management team, are also placed on alert so the floodgates can be closed and roads shut to traffic if need be.
Do your part
While the council and other agencies handle incident response, there are some things all Launceston residents can do.
Ms Robins said it came down to being proactive and knowing the disaster risk for your property.
"From a community point of view, we try and raise awareness in and around what risks there are for the city," she said.
"There's different ways that people can go and find the information on the risks, and depending where they live, they'll have different natural hazard risks."
In the case of flooding, residents can check their flood risk on the City of Launceston website, which shows the flood risk for individual properties and a variety of flooding levels.
For bushfires and other disasters, TasALERT has a similar online tool and tips .
Why not have your say? Write a letter to the editor here:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner