Natural hazard risk in Perth, Western Australia - Cities Project Perth Report - 2005

This report is a major risk assessment project based on metropolitan Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Completed in June 2005, the report is the final publication in Geoscience Australia's Cities Project. Approximately 72% of Western Australia's population of around 1.3 million live in the Perth metropolitan area. Significant areas of Perth are situated along the banks of the flood prone Swan River and close to Australia's most active earthquake zone. There are several limestone belts to the north and south of Perth where karst systems have been discovered and the city's coastline suffers from coastal erosion as a result of high winds and fierce storms.The study aimed at estimating the impact on the Perth community of several sudden-onset natural hazards. The natural hazards considered are both meteorological and terrestrial in origin. The hazards investigated most comprehensively are riverine floods in the Swan and Canning Rivers, severe winds in metropolitan Perth, and earthquakes in the Perth region. Some socioeconomic factors affecting the capacity of the citizens of Perth to recover from natural disaster events have been analysed and the WA data compared with data from other Australian states. Additionally, new estimates of earthquake hazard have been made in a zone of radius around 200km from Perth, extending east into the central Wheatbelt. The susceptibility of the southwest WA coastline to sea level rise from climate change has also been investigated. A commentary on the tsunami risk to WA coastline communities is also included. A postage and handling fee will be associated with the distribution of this product.

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