Mr Brown told a council committee meeting yesterday the powers under a state of emergency would have allowed authorities to knock down buildings and control air space.
But those powers were not needed, nor were they needed to include a response from the army, which was already involved on the evening of the flooding.
Mr Brown was questioned by Cr Lee Vandervis at a planning and regulatory committee meeting yesterday on the possibility of declaring a state of emergency during the flood.
Asked about the issue after the meeting, Mr Brown said an advisory group responding last Wednesday included representatives from the Fire Service, police, ambulance, the district health board, welfare agencies and engineers.
The Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 includes powers to provide for the conservation and supply of food and fuel, prohibit or regulate land, air, and water traffic, and undertake emergency measures for the disposal of dead persons or animals.
Mr Brown said those, and other measures, were not considered necessary by members of the advisory group.
''There was never a suggestion any of them were getting to a stage of suggesting that a state of emergency may be required for any of the purposes of the Act.''
Cr Vandervis also asked if a state of emergency would have allowed the army to become involved.
Mr Brown told Cr Vandervis the army was involved on Wednesday.
That including army personnel and vehicles collecting bulk sandbags from Ravensdown Fertiliser, and taking them to St Kilda, and having a Unimog truck on hand in Mosgiel.
