Natural disasters – are we prepared for the worst?

23 May 2019

Stretch your thinking on natural hazards management - 17 to 19 June, Canberra

Who is prepared for extreme natural hazards – Australia, New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific? Compare the state of the nations at the 12th Australasian Natural Hazards Management Conference in Canberra next month.

Keynote addresses from Jo Horrocks, New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, and Mark Crosweller, Australian National Resilience Taskforce in the Department of Home Affairs, will compare and contrast the current national positions on disaster risk reduction.

Adding to these insights will be Animesh Kumar, from the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, outlining the international context of disaster resilience.

Delegates will firstly hear what thinking shaped the priorities of each country and region before working through a detailed scenario on a future we are likely to face.

Picture this: a long-running drought and bushfire season is broken by a cyclone and widespread flooding along Australia's coast, with the storm system so large that New Zealand is impacted. Storm. Giant hail. Flood. Landslides. Blackouts. Casualties. Disruption. This scenario has massive cascading impacts upon local, state and federal resources, as well as business and communities.

To begin the discussion, a panel of experts will explore the impacts of the scenario from a range of perspectives, including the following organisations:

Ambulance Victoria
Australian Energy Market Operator
Australian Red Cross
Emergency Management Australia
Optus
QBE Insurance
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
Western Australian Local Government Association

Download the program now.

Join us, and representatives from more than 50 organisations – from research, all levels of government, emergency services, essential services, telecommunications and more – to explore if the current state of knowledge in natural hazards is adequately preparing us for an extreme weather beyond our experience.

2019 Australasian Natural Hazards Management Conference runs from 17-19 June at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, hosted by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC. Earlybird registration closes Monday 27 May. Register now.