From devastation, hard lessons are learned. In this special December Hazardous Webinar, join Natural Hazards Research Australia to mark the respective 50-year and 20-year anniversaries of remember 1974’s Cyclone Tracy and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and their continuing legacy in driving Australia’s preparation, response, recovery and resilience to catastrophic disasters.

12:00pm - 1:00pm AEDT, 12 December 2024

Speakers:

Doug Smith - Natural Hazards Research Australia Board member who as a Victoria Police Officer was posted to the Cyclone Tracy recovery
Adj Prof George Walker - structural engineering academic and specialist in catastrophe risk and disaster insurance research
Dr Jane Sexton - Executive Manager Hazard and Risk, Queensland Fire Department
Prof Cheryl Desha – Natural Hazards Research Australia (host)

As a member of Victoria Police, Doug Smith (Natural Hazards Research Australia) was posted to Darwin to support the clean-up and recovery from Cyclone Tracy in December 1974. Doug will reflect on his experiences as first responder in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy and its enduring mark on his life and career.

The work Adj Prof George Walker led in redefining building standards following Cyclone Tracy catalysed building code changes that continue to improve infrastructure resilience to catastrophic disasters today. George will share the engineering impacts and building code changes brought about by the devastation wrought on 24 December 1974, how the disaster and recovery shifted the way disaster research is carried out in Australia and the ongoing global impact of Cyclone Tracy in reinsurance.

Dr Jane Sexton (Queensland Fire Department) is a member of the Australian Tsunami Advisory Group and will outline the ongoing influence of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Australia’s tsunami preparedness and warnings systems. Read about the Australian Tsunami Advisory Group, the system’s capability, challenges and emerging opportunities in this recent Australian Journal of Emergency Management article ahead of the webinar.

Contact the host of December Hazardous Webinar - After disaster: learning from Cyclone Tracy and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami