In terms of natural disasters and hazards, how safe is Australia compared to the rest of the world?

Question

In terms of natural disasters and hazards, how safe is Australia compared to the rest of the world?

Answer 1

In most areas we are safer, though we have fault lines etc, no Volcanic Activity, we are still subject to storms etc, no Hurricanes like the US as we don't have the same highs and lows from Mexico merging together.

Generally, no place better :-)

Answer 2

I would say relativley safe considering the following:

no volcanoes

no major fault zones so no chance of a major earthquake

Much of the coast is protected from tsunamis by reefs and offshore islands

Flooding is an issue but not as serious as most countries.

That leaves our biggest threats: bushfires and cyclones.

These can both cause significant economic and physical damage but minimal loss of life.

Answer 3

i think a lot safer, we have had though occasional floods, tornadoes, avalanches. I have lived in OZ all my life, 27 years and lived through none of these thankfully

Answer 4

The Tropical North regularly is hit by cyclones.  (Darwin was destroyed in 1974, e.g.)   They are life threatening.

Floods are a certainty at sometime, and they can cause loss of life.

Bush fire, in Australia, is as dangerous as anywhere in the world.

While there are recorded earthquakes, they are generally mild.

Tiger snakes, pythons, taipans, wild buffalo, crocodiles, wild  pigs, etc. are all dangerous.

In some ways, though, Australians are immune from much of this because the majority live on the eastern coastline.

Answer 5

Australia experiences a range of 'natural disasters' including brushfires, floods, severe storms, earthquakes and landslides. These events cause great financial hardship for individuals and communities, and can result in loss of life, which has become part of Australian folklore.

However, these events are also considered both part of the natural cycle of weather patterns in Australia as well as being affected by human factors such as overstocking, vegetation loss, dams, groundwater and irrigation schemes. These patterns are recognized by terms such as a 100-year drought - a drought of severity that is only seen once in a hundred years. Fire can often follow drought, and drought can be followed by flood. Severe fires followed by drought can also contribute to soil erosion. Soooo.....I would think that it's safer than most countries.

Answer 6

If you live in the tropical north like I do we have occasional cyclones (hurricanes) but you always get plenty of warning. Down south they have occasional floods, but no more than anywhere else in the world. We have no volcanic activity.