Pilbara Emergency Management District
Risk Assessment Report
This district risk assessment report summarises the results of the State Risk Project risk assessment workshops in the Pilbara Emergency Management (EM) district. It covers five priority hazards, as identified by the Pilbara District Emergency Management Committee (DEMC). The workshop series was conducted between July and September 2016.
Hazards Assessed:
 |  |  |  |  |
| Air Crash | Cyclone | Flood | Human Epidemic | Marine Transport Emergency |
District Risk Profile
Report highlights:
- 1% of the risks were assessed as extreme;
- 10% of the risks were assessed as high;
- 2% of the risks could cause catastrophic consequences.
As a result of the human epidemic and air crash scenarios, the health system would be stretched and emergency services would be overwhelmed, particularly the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) in transporting burns and critical patients to Perth for treatment.
The greatest economic losses to the Pilbara would likely stem from impacts to the marine and mining industries. The marine transport emergency scenario would have a significant impact on mining exports from the region, as the channel could potentially be blocked for up to 10 days resulting in losses of greater than $227 million. The cyclone scenario could also result in significant financial losses. These losses would likely be from both the impact of severe winds causing the Port and mining industry to come to a temporary halt and from the resultant severe flooding across the Pilbara causing damage to mine sites and rail infrastructure that service the mine sites.
The cyclone scenario could result in the evacuation of over 5000 people, particularly as a result of an expected 12 metre storm surge in Karratha town. The need to house this large number of people could be an issue, with a strain on public facilities.
