More than 17,000 dwellings in the Brisbane and Ipswich area were flood affected when, in January 2011, the Bremer and Brisbane Rivers exceeded major flood levels. In January 2013 the Brisbane and Ipswich area was again impacted by major flooding. During April and May 2012 Geoscience Australia conducted a postal survey of residents in the flood affected areas of Brisbane and Ipswich. Nearly 1,300 households responded. The survey covered a range of topics including preparation in the days leading up to the flood inundation, evacuation behaviour, economic impacts, subjective well-being and reconstruction and recovery in the days, weeks , and months following the flood event. The paper examines residential rebuilding following the floods and focuses on vulnerability and reconstruction. It discusses the composition of vulnerable households ( eg people with disabilities, no access to a motor vehicle, single parents with young children), household well being after the flood event ( eg physical, emotional and financial stress) and building fabric issues ( eg mould or warped timbers) during the reconstruction phase. Also examined are the steps taken to mitigate against future flood events. What lessons were there to be learned? The paper also compares two different socio-economic areas and looks at any differences in recovery between the two areas.

2013 Floods post-disaster survey form for distribution to Bundaberg households