The Worst Natural Disaster in Australia: The List and Overview

One of the biggest challenges Australia is facing some natural disasters. The worst natural disaster in Australia caused a high number of fatalities, so the government is trying to improve its preparedness. Their allocation for this challenge in 2025 is quite high, about 13.5 billion dollars.

Both summer and winter seasons in Australia are always brutal. The ongoing cases are threatening, especially bushfire cases. However, they always review the worst cases that have ever happened in the country to maximize the resources and efforts. What are the cases that become their lessons for improvement?

The List of The Worst Natural Disasters in Australia

Mahina Cyclone in 1899

The Mahina cyclone was very intense in the Southern area. Since it was deadliest in Australia and its existence is unpredictable, the country is well prepared in case it occurs again next time. It was in category 5 and came at night. The speed of the cyclone was more than 250 km/h.

The estimation of fatalities because of this cyclone is about 400 people. The main event was when the cyclone hit the sea surface and created some strong waves. Thus, it smashed many boats at the port and threw some big mammals and fish onto the shoreline. This cyclone became the main study.

Black Saturday in 2009

One of the most catastrophic disasters that ever happened in Australia is Black Saturday. It was a huge bushfire in Victoria, started on February 7, 2009. After that, it was reported that about 173 people died, with more than 500 people injured in this disaster. It was sweeping the area very fast.

The effect of this bushfire was very serious. The temperature in Melbourne reached 46 degree Celsius and the wind speed was 100 kmph. The worst is because of low humidity which causes people to suffer from drought and vegetation getting dry.

Ash Wednesday in 1983

In 1983, a devastating bushfire was happening like a series in Victoria. The death toll reached 75 people, and thousands of buildings were destroyed because of the fire. It got worse because of the extreme temperature and strong winds in that period in Southern Australia.

The cause of this disaster was the worst natural disaster in Australia was because some trees relied on power lines. It triggered the fire, and other factors like dry conditions and strong winds made the fire spread fast. The forest in Victoria was burnt about 50,000 hectares because of this disaster.

Black Tuesday in 1967

Another bushfire in Australia that caused more than 200,000 hectares to be burnt was Black Tuesday. More than 5000 people lost their property with 62 people died, and 1000 people were injured. Dry vegetation and strong winds became the reason why this disaster occurred. The Tasmanians had to move to other areas.

Cyclone Tracy in 1974

This cyclone hit Australia on December 25, 1974. The affected areas are Darwin and the Northern region with category 4. It was very strong since the wind speed reached 240 kmph. Though the size is small, the wind speed made it very intense. About 71 people died.

The worst effect of the worst natural disaster in Australia is losing the houses and business. The port was not able to deliver goods, so shipping was delayed for weeks. Because of this cyclone, more than 30 thousand people were evacuated on a large scale.

Queensland Flood in 2010-2011

Among the biggest natural disasters in Australia, the flood that occurred in Queensland during 2010-2011 was one of them. More than 70% of the region in Queensland was covered by water because of intense rain. The dam and river were overflowing.

More than 200 thousand people from 70 towns in Queensland had to leave the region for a while. About 33 people were killed because of the flash flood, and the economic loss of economy was very high as well. The mining industry in Queensland had to stop, which caused greater loss for Australia.

Since the worst natural disaster in Australia brought a lot of harmful aftermath, including the loss of lives, the government provides an SMS broadcaster in EAS. This device is a tool to send warning messages to the community when a disaster is threatening. Find out more about this useful device here.