Project Raising awareness of earthquake-risk in regional WA
How Geoscience Australia is assisting preparedness campaigns by providing state emergency managers with region-specific hazard information.
Last updated:18 June 2024
The problem
A lack of community safety earthquake resources for regional emergency managers
Many Western Australians aren’t aware that the state is an earthquake hotspot, with more tremors than all other states and territories combined. The earthquakes that do occur are often of larger magnitude too – particularly in the Wheatbelt region and along the state’s north-west coast.
If a powerful earthquake was to occur in regional Western Australia (WA), it risks causing serious damage to buildings and infrastructure – putting lives, livelihoods and communities at risk. To keep regional WA safe, individuals and emergency managers must prepare and plan in advance, and be confident their communities know what to do both during and after an earthquake.
Emergency managers across regional WA have identified a lack of resources available to help them communicate the localised risk associated with earthquakes to their communities. A lack of understanding also exists in regional areas about the roles and responsibilities of the emergency management sector during an earthquake event.
Historic building damage to Meckering Public Hall resulting from the 1968 magnitude-6.5 Meckering earthquake. Image: State Library of Western Australia
What we’re doing
Developing tools to increase community earthquake preparation
Geoscience Australia is partnering with the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on their initiative to develop a suite of tools that educate and empower individuals in regional WA in the event of a future earthquake.
The Western Australian Community Earthquake Awareness project is:
- developing updated earthquake hazard information based on Geoscience Australia’s data that can be incorporated into online and printed DFES awareness resources and materials
- delivering a series of online seminars and workshops presented by subject matter experts that cover what to do before and after an earthquake, and highlight existing misconceptions
- developing an earthquake preparedness guide which can be used by the WA emergency management sector to encourage individuals to take personal responsibility for earthquake preparedness before an event occurs
- producing a series of regionalised fact sheets to increase earthquake awareness in regional WA communities and educate individuals with the latest advice, highlighting necessary precautions that can be undertaken
- facilitating community engagement activities across regional WA that target earthquake awareness both before and after earthquake events, and linking these to significant local historical events and national and international days of awareness
- developing an earthquake hazard communication plan for WA schools and the media
Geoscience Australia works with state and local governments and the emergency management industry sector across Australia to develop local hazard assessments. For more information, contact hazards@ga.gov.au
Looking forward
Educating regional WA about earthquake risk
- Geoscience Australia’s earthquake data and research will continue to shape communication messages which educate Australians about earthquake risk and empower communities to keep their people safe.
- The increased number of earthquake felt reports submitted by the WA community resulting from this project will improve the quality of Geoscience Australia’s Earthquakes@GA alerting service, leading to a better understanding of earthquake hazard risk across both WA and Australia.
- The WA Community Earthquake Awareness project will establish a community awareness program which measures the effectiveness of the resources and materials created by the program, leading to a better long-term understanding of municipal natural hazard requirements.
How we can help you
Contact us to gain a better understanding of the earthquake hazard profile in your state, region or sector, so you can develop targeted and effective risk mitigation and risk reduction strategies.
Our earthquake resources can help you understand the earthquake risk in your community so you can make better-informed planning and development decisions.
Email hazards@ga.gov.au
Related information
Australian Neotectonic Features Database (NFD)
Visit our inventory of over 370 Australian intraplate faults, fault-related folds and other features relating to earthquakes large enough to deform the Earth’s surface.
National Seismic Hazard Assessment (NSHA)
The NSHA defines the level of earthquake ground shaking across Australia, allowing higher hazard areas to be identified and mitigation strategies to be developed.
National Earthquake Alerts Centre
NEAC is the only earthquake monitoring and alerting service in Australia that is operational 24 hours a day.