On 21^st March 2011 heavy rainfall fell along the Illawarra South Coast region of New South Wales (NSW) resulting in severe flash flooding.  As a result, one person lost their life in Warilla. Flooding caused the closure of major roads and railway lines and the destruction of numerous bridges, isolating hundreds of people. A number of Local Government Areas (LGA) were declared Natural Disaster areas. The NSW State Emergency Services (NSW SES) received over 800 requests for assistance for the Illawarra area alone, including 51 flood rescues between 19^th and 23^rd March 2011.

Risk Frontiers, in collaboration with the NSW SES, undertook a community-based study in three heavily impacted locations (Shellharbour, Kiama and Jamberoo). The aim was to examine the public’s experience, attitudes and behaviours before, during and after the March flash flood event. The study also documented how people received flood warnings and the usefulness of the information broadcasted. The survey included a questionnaire distributed to residents door-to-door and online, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with various members of each community. The results show that the majority of those surveyed were not aware that flooding was going to impact their area before 21^st March. Therefore people that were impacted by flooding took actions that were more reactive than proactive and often put themselves in danger by entering floodwaters. This information has been used to help review and update the NSW SES community engagement practices and gauge the community’s expectations of the SES during future events.