Flooded!

11 Jun Flooded!

Dear Here to Help,

Every time it rains, my house is flooded. The water overflows from the street and pours down into my front door.
Yet, when I look at Council’s flood management strategy, my street is not marked as flooding.
I have complained to Council over the years, but it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Worse, my home continues to flood regularly.
HELP!

Thank you for your query.

Navigating bureaucracy can feel like hitting your head against a brick wall. Their timeframes seem unconnected with your day-to-day reality.

It is important to remember that you are one of many people who contact Council with issues that need attention. This means that the more you can do to help any bureaucracy make the decision that helps you, the quicker that decision will be made.

Here are my top tips to help you get your problem to the top of Council’s to-do list:
1. Ask “what can I do to help myself?”
For example, skylights are notorious for flooding and this is something that you could have fixed yourself.

2. Look at what you can do together with your community
My Local column “whose responsibility anyhow” from 2021 includes some practical advice on what you can do with your community to help resolve community issues.

3. Evidence, evidence, evidence
Take lots of photos, including weather reports (eg how much rain does it take for your house to flood), where does the water pool on the road, etc

4. Research, research, research
Read Council’s flood management strategy, check the review date, keep an eye on what flood works Council does, and find out how and why that was a priority

5. Use the appropriate channels
a. Talk to the contact person for the flood management strategy and see what information they need and when
b. Follow Council’s procedures for service requests
c. If this doesn’t happen in a timely manner, follow the review procedures.
You can lodge a complaint here.
You can appeal council’s decision on your complaint. First, to someone more senior in council. Then, to an external agency, which could be the Ombudsman, Office of Local Government or ICAC, depending on the situation.

In 2019, I wrote a two part series with some more tips for dealing with bureaucracies.

Last, but not least, be persistent! With right on your side, you can win a just and reasonable outcome.

This article comes from my column entitled “Here to Help” in Hunter Local, June 2024. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to “Here to Help” and let’s see what we can achieve.
Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.