Russell Island disaster profile
Russell Island is the largest and most populated of the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, covering approximately 8km by 3km and home to around 3,700 residents. The island contains a mix of residential areas, environmental reserves, parks and community facilities
On this page:
Natural hazards
All natural hazards are possible. Understanding your risk and taking steps to prepare can help reduce the impacts of a disaster.
Use the Hazard Areas interactive map layers on the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard to help identify bushfire, flood/storm tide and landslide risk in your area.
Severe thunderstorms are the most common local natural hazard. Thunderstorms can develop quickly and bring heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning, resulting in localised flooding, power outages, fallen trees and debris hazards. Lightning associated with thunderstorms may also ignite bushfires.
Other potential natural hazards on Russell Island include:
Bushfire
Russell Island has the highest bushfire risk of the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, with its extensive vegetation cover contributing to the majority of the island being identified as having a high to very high bushfire risk.
The properties at greatest risk are those located at the southern end of the island between Sandy Beach and Rocky Point areas.
Because bushfire is a risk to all properties in Redland City, all residents should have a bushfire survival plan and all properties should be bushfire ready.
You can see bushfire hazard mapping for your area on the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
Properties adjacent to bushland are at higher risk of ember attack. Even if your property is not adjacent to bushland, ember attack is still a real risk as embers can travel kilometres ahead of a fire.
Council utilises a range of fire mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of bushfire on Council owned land and impact to surrounding areas. For more information, visit Bushfire risk mitigation program and check out the Planned Burn Program page for a map and list of locations.
For bushfire preparedness, visit the Queensland Fire Department website.
Flood Prone / Storm Tide
Mapping has identified the potential for storm tide inundation to have significant inland penetration during a severe storm event which has the potential to isolate communities on Russell Island.
Communities located at the southern end of Russell Island such as those at Sandy Beach and Rocky Point are particularly vulnerable, access via Glendale Road could be affected due to flooding in parts, effectively isolating the entire area.
Residents should check creek flood mapping and storm tide mapping information for their suburb.
Local roads and access routes may be temporarily affected during severe weather. Check the Disaster Dashboard and Flood Cameras for the latest road conditions to plan the safest routes during severe weather.
Landslide
The majority of Russell Island has low to no risk of landslide.
Areas of high to very high risk are limited mainly to the eastern coastline of the island, particular in the southern end from Seaward Drive south to The Boulevard at Sandy Beach.
You can see landslide hazard mapping for your area on the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
For more information on landslides, visit Get Ready Queensland.
Learn more about natural disaster risks on Redlands Coast.
Critical infrastructure
Critical infrastructure on Russell Island includes essential services such as electricity, water, telecommunications and sea transport.
Preparing for service disruptions and isolation
During a disaster, island residents and visitors may experience isolation due to disrupted transport links, flooding or other hazards. Impacts to essential services may also continue after a disaster, including disruptions to power, telecommunications and transport services.
Monitor official emergency information channels and be prepared for extended periods without access to some services. Consider how you will access emergency information if internet, mobile phone or power services become unavailable on the island.
Ensure your household emergency kit has 5 to 7 days supply of essential items, including food, drinking water, medications, pet supplies and other necessities.
Loss of electricity
Power outages can occur during severe weather, flooding, bushfire or other emergency events. Be prepared for the loss of lights, refrigeration, air conditioning, electric cooking appliances and the ability to charge devices.
Stay well clear of fallen powerlines and any objects in contact with them. To report fallen powerlines, electric shocks and tingles or other electricity emergencies, call 000 or Energex Emergencies on 13 19 62.
Power outages can be reported on 13 62 62, and are listed on the Disaster Dashboard or Energex Outage Finder.
Energex offer a notification service for Emergency and Planned outages visit the Energex Notifications page to register for this service.
Telecommunications interruptions
Power outages may affect mobile phone coverage, internet services and landline communications on the island. While many mobile phone towers have battery backup systems, these operate for a limited time. NBN services, VoIP phones and cordless landline phones require power and may not operate during prolonged outages. If you have NBN, visit what happens during a power outage for information about how your connection type may be be affected.
Keep mobile devices charged and include power banks or other backup charging options in your emergency kit. Consider having alternative ways to receive emergency information if telecommunications services are disrupted.
For advice on preparing an emergency kit and planning for disruptions to critical infrastructure, visit Get Ready Queensland.
Gas, water and wastewater systems
Many properties on the islands have on-site wastewater systems, water tanks, or use gas bottles to service hot water systems and cooking appliances. Residents should ensure gas cylinders are secure and maintained. On-site wastewater or water tank systems and may not operate during extended power outages.
Seqwater supplies bulk drinking water through the SEQ Water Grid, and Redland City Council delivers it to most properties in Redland City. Some properties use rainwater tanks. For planned and unplanned water and sewerage outages, visit the Service Interruptions page.
For advice on preparing an emergency kit and planning for disruptions to critical infrastructure, visit Get Ready Queensland.
Sea transport
Access to and from the island relies on the vehicle barge and passenger ferry from Redland Bay's Weinam Creek Marina, operated by Sealink Bay Islands, which may be suspended during severe weather or disrupted due to debris in the water.
SeaLink also operates a dedicated ambulance vessel on behalf of the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) for patient transfers to the mainland. Available 24/7, the vessel can also be used to transport Energex staff to SMBI during emergencies when it is not needed for patient transport.
Residents and visitors to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands should monitor their local sea transport operators for service changes during disasters:
Evacuation
During a disaster or emergency, local Evacuation Centres or Assembly Areas may be activated as required.
Do not travel to an Evacuation Centre or Assembly Area unless it has been announced that it is activated and open.
Check the latest evacuation advice and activated Evacuation Centres
If an evacuation is issued, follow the directions of emergency services and refer to the Evacuation in a disaster page about evacuating safely.
Residents should prepare for the possibility of evacuation by ensuring their household emergency plan and emergency kit is up-to-date.
Nominated Evacuation Centre for Russell Island
The nominated location below may not be activated for every emergency and may change depending on the type of disaster, affected areas and local conditions. Always check the
Disaster Dashboard and other official emergency communication channels before travelling.
1 Alison Crescent, Russell Island
Ph: 3289 8999