JBA Risk Management Unveils New Australian Flood Model
JBA Risk Management, a UK-based authority in flood risk assessment, has introduced a groundbreaking inland flood model for Australia. This launch comes in response to the escalating demand from insurance and risk sectors for precise flood risk insights.
Flooding has traditionally been viewed as a secondary peril, yet it is increasingly becoming a prominent concern for insurers. In recent years, significant flooding events have struck New South Wales and Queensland, notably with ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred hitting the east coast of Australia on March 8, 2025, leading to substantial damage. As reported by the Insurance Council of Australia, over 22,000 insurance claims were filed by policyholders from southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales following the event.
JBA’s innovative model offers extensive 5-meter flood data coverage for major urban centers such as Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, while maintaining a uniform 30-meter resolution across other regions of the country. By integrating both physical and statistical methodologies, it evaluates pluvial and fluvial flooding from both tropical and non-tropical storm occurrences.
The model builds upon JBA’s high-resolution flood maps, which are already utilized by approximately half of the Australian insurance market for informed flood risk decisions. By employing fully hydro-dynamically modelled flood maps, JBA ensures a highly accurate depiction of floodwater dynamics across varied landscapes. The model incorporates state-of-the-art 2D hydraulic modelling, terrain data, channel capacity, sea level science, and flood defense information.
Future-Proofing Flood Risk Assessment
The model also offers foresight into potential shifts in flood risk and related losses by 2050 and 2080, based on climate scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. A built-in sensitivity analysis tool empowers users to explore different ‘what if’ scenarios.
Developed using Oasis-enabled technology, the model is completely customizable, permitting users to dynamically create models using event sets, hazards, and vulnerabilities in real-time. It is available through NASDAQ’s NMRC platform and IF Elements.
Mansi Kalra, Managing Director at JBA Risk Management, stated, “Our Australian Flood Model, equipped with the new sensitivity tool, is a pioneering solution for the Australian market. It offers comprehensive coverage and insights at an unprecedented level of detail, enabling users to better evaluate climate change impacts on flood risk for enhanced portfolio planning, capital management, and regulatory compliance. Market feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
James Knight, Head of APAC, View of Risk Advisory at Aon, remarked, “JBA’s local flood solutions assist our clients in making informed decisions regarding flood risk. This is particularly crucial in urban centers, which house the largest aggregations of flood-prone properties. We find that the model’s floodplain predictions align well with several major flooding events we have observed locally in recent years.”
Stephen Lau, Principal at Finity, commented, “Flooding is a significant hazard in Australia and New Zealand, and numerous flood catastrophes have impacted communities in recent years. Consequently, the insurance, banking, corporate, and government sectors consult Finity for guidance on understanding, underwriting, managing, and mitigating flood risk. JBA’s high-resolution flood models are essential to these efforts. We eagerly anticipate the launch of JBA’s Australia Flood Model, which promises to provide our clients with even deeper insights by offering a consistent view of risk across the entire risk transfer chain.”
