Emergencies & Disasters

Disasters can occur at any time and often without warning, wreaking havoc across communities.  It is important therefore that systems are in place to enable communities to effectively deal with hazards and emergencies whether they be natural, technological or biological.  This is called Emergency Management.  It involves both planning for disasters and the establishment of arrangements to enable a coordinated approach to disasters. 

Emergencies and hazards are classified under three categories:

• Natural
• Technological
• Biological

Natural Emergencies

Natural emergencies include any hazards that occur within the physical natural environment.  They include:

• Flood
• Bushfire
• Tropical Cyclone
• Severe Storms
• Tsunami
• Earthquake
• Storm Surge
• Coastal Erosion
• Landslip or Rock fall 

Technological Emergencies

Technological emergencies are man-made.  They occur within the built environment and include:

• Bridge collapse
• Building collapse
• House fire
• Industrial Fire
• Transport accidents - road, air, sea and rail
• Pollution
• Infrastructure failure - water, sewer, dam, power or communications

Biological Emergencies

A Biological hazard is an organism that poses a threat to the health of living systems.  Biological hazards include:

• Pathogens
• Communicable disease - Humans
• Communicable disease - Animals
• Communicable disease - Plants

Planning and Preparing for Emergencies

Here's what you can do to prepare your family for emergencies.