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2010–2011 Q ueensland floods: Using H addon's M atrix to define and categorise public safety strategies
Author(s) -
Zhong Shuang,
Clark Michele,
Hou XiangYu,
Zang YuLi,
FitzGerald Gerry
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/1742-6723.12097
Subject(s) - flood myth , medicine , case fatality rate , demography , environmental health , geography , population , sociology , archaeology
Objective The 2010–2011 Q ueensland floods resulted in the most deaths from a single flood event in A ustralia since 1916. This article analyses the information on these deaths for comparison with those from previous floods in modern A ustralia in an attempt to identify factors that have contributed to those deaths. H addon's M atrix, originally designed for prevention of road trauma, offers a framework for understanding the interplay between contributing factors and helps facilitate a clearer understanding of the varied strategies required to ensure people's safety for particular flood types. Methods Public reports and flood relevant literature were searched using key words ‘flood’, ‘fatality’, ‘mortality’, ‘death’, ‘injury’ and ‘victim’ through G oogle S cholar, PubMed , ProQuest and EBSCO . Data relating to reported deaths during the 2010–2011 Q ueensland floods, and relevant data of previous A ustralian flood fatality (1997–2009) were collected from these available sources. These sources were also used to identify contributing factors. Results There were 33 deaths directly attributed to the event, of which 54.5% were swept away in a flash flood on 10 J anuary 2011. A further 15.1% of fatalities were caused by inappropriate behaviours. This is different to floods in modern A ustralia where over 90% of deaths are related to the choices made by individuals. There is no single reason why people drown in floods, but rather a complex interplay of factors. Conclusions The present study and its integration of research findings and conceptual frameworks might assist governments and communities to develop policies and strategies to prevent flood injury and fatalities.