Tsunami Emergency Planning Handbook for Australian Coastal and Maritime Communities

University of Newcastle researchers captured media attention in 2017 with a study modelling tsunami risk for Sydney, considering scenarios from minor disruptions to rare one-in-5000-year disasters. The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and the Australian Tsunami Advisory Group published the Tsunami Emergency Planning in Australia Handbook on 5 November 2018. This handbook outlines causes, characteristics, and planning considerations for coastal and maritime communities under the Australian Tsunami Warning System.

Use Cases

• Developing local tsunami emergency plans based on the 'Marine Threat' and 'Land Inundation Threat' framework.
• Informing maritime community safety protocols for fishers, boaters, and offshore enterprises using the handbook's guidance.
• Assessing long-term coastal infrastructure risk using the referenced historical and prehistorical tsunami records.
• Training emergency services personnel on the processes and warning types of the Australian Tsunami Warning System.

Strengths

• Authored by the leading national group for tsunami capability development, the Australian Tsunami Advisory Group.
• Replaces and updates a previous 2010 manual, reflecting more current guidance published on 5 November 2018.
• Includes companion Tsunami hazard modelling guidelines developed in 2018, representing the most up-to-date national hazard view.

Limitations

• Data is provided as a PDF handbook; column-level documentation for any underlying modelling data is absent.
• Row count for any associated hazard model data is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified as the core document was published in 2018, though metadata shows a 2026 platform update.

Provenance

Source

Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) and Australian Tsunami Advisory Group (ATAG).

Collection Method

Collaborative review and synthesis of scientific research, historical records, and emergency management practices.

Time Range

Handbook published in 2018, referencing a 2017 University of Newcastle study and historical/prehistorical records.

Freshness

Handbook published 5 November 2018; platform metadata last updated 2026-06-05.

Geography

Australia, with focus on coastal and maritime communities.