Introduction

Introduction to the EMA Disasters Database.

The importance of maintaining disaster records is nationally recognised and has been reinforced in the reform commitment outlined in the Council of Australian Government’s report "Natural Disasters in Australia: Reforming mitigation, relief and recovery arrangements" , where Commonwealth, States and Territories agree to ‘establish a nationally consistent system of data collection, research and analysis to ensure a sound knowledge base on natural disasters and disaster mitigation’.

Feedback on the database indicates that numerous Government agencies, research bodies, educational institutions, emergency service agencies and interested members of the public widely use the database for a variety of reasons, and to that extent, every effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate and valid. However many of the early records are understandably incomplete and determining loss assessment data is a protracted process which means that some fields in the database are continuously being updated. The database was converted from a previous desktop version, called EMATrack, to the current web version, in 2001 and new fields were added to enhance the information contained in the database. Many of these fields are currently empty while a process is being undertaken to validate information and to systematically update the fields.

What events are included in the database?

Disasters and emergencies are defined in the Australian Emergency Management Glossary as:

Disaster
‘A serious disruption to community life which threatens or causes death or injury in that community and/or damage to property which is beyond the day-today capacity of the prescribed statutory authorities and which requires special mobilisation and organisation of resources other than those normally available to those authorities.’

Emergency
‘An event, actual or imminent, which endangers or threatens to endanger life, property or the environment, and which requires a significant and coordinated response.’

Natural, technological and human caused events are included in the database, in reference to the above definitions through meeting the following data entry thresholds:

three or more deaths; and/or
20 injuries or illnesses; and/or
significant damage to property, infrastructure, agriculture or the environment, or disruption to essential services, commerce, industry, or trauma or dislocation of the community at an estimated total cost of A$10,000,000 or more.

Explanatory Notes:

Events which overlap Categories (i.e., cyclone and tsunami) are referred to as 'Complex Emergencies' in the Category view.
Events which overlap Zones are referred to as 'Australia-wide' in the Zone view and are broken down in the Regions view.
Impact / Severity scales are currently based on a 4-point simple scale of slight, moderate, severe and catastrophic. This is limited by a Range value defined by the Regions. These methods of calculating impact and severity are provisional and subject to current research which may result in changing methods of assessment over the next few years.
Blank data fields indicate details are unknown. Generally, insurance loss figures are not available prior to 1967, therefore, total estimated costs (which are partly based on insurance losses) for pre-1967 events will tend to be less accurate than those since that date.
'Total Cost' takes into account: Insured Cost - All insurance losses (based on figures from the Insurance Council of Australia). Loss Assessment Cost - All uninsured losses including repair/replacement costs of private property, public buildings (including historic/heritage), assets and records, damaged infrastructure/lifelines (eg. water, sewer, power, communications, gas, roads, railways, bridges, paths, driveways, fences etc).
'Commercial / Industry Cost' takes into account: Material, production and service income losses incurred by industry (including mining, livestock and agriculture), commerce (including tourism), and government.
Costs not currently taken into account: Emergency response by emergency services, local, state, Commonwealth governments; and non-government organisations. Local government clean-up, remedial and environmental damage costs (including pollution of foreshores and riverbank or beach erosion).Community dislocation, loss of jobs, rehabilitation/recovery services, and basic medical and funeral costs associated with injuries and deaths caused.
Cost Variations: Costs currently in the database represent the $A value at the time of the disaster. Comparing event costs therefore may require the inflation differential to be taken into account.
Event description: The description of the event is a summary only. Linkages to other relevant documents will be included were possible, eg coronial inquiry outcomes.

Any feedback on the database including database usability, data accuracy or exclusion of events, would be greatly appreciated.

ema@ema.gov.au

DISCLAIMER
Emergency Management Australia is not responsible for any use to which the data may be put. Whilst Emergency Management Australia takes every effort to check and validate the data, the contents of the database are distilled from reports from various external sources over which we have no control and in some cases, due to lack of original records the existing data may be incomplete or faulty. We welcome any suggestions regarding possible inaccuracies.