A tsunami on the Peninsula?

What would happen if a tsunami hit the Peninsula?

The Peninsula has an estimated 30,000 people living on the sandplain which is less than 10 metres above sea level.

The Asian tsunami waves were reported to have exceeded 12 metres in height.

However, it seems no precautionary measures exist for such an event happening here.

Geoscience Australia, the agency which monitors earthquakes, has stated that the likelihood of a catastrophic tsunami happening on the east coast of Australia is "extremely low".

Gosford Council spokesperson Ms Carole David said that council had an emergency plan in place, which was organised by its risk management department.

Each council building and car contained detailed manuals of what would happen in the case of a natural disaster.

According to Geoscience Australia, smaller tsunamis of much less than one metre are recorded on Australia's coastline about once every two years. Most are classified low risk.

The closest recent earthquake to Australia's east coast, which caused a tsunami, occurred in August 2003 off the south-west coast of New Zealand, 2500 kilometres away.

It caused a small local tsunami, less than a metre high in New Zealand.

Australia's north west coast is the only area classified moderate risk, due to its proximity to Indonesia and other countries where large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can occur.

Australia's earthquake monitors are used to detect events that might cause tsunamis around Australia's coast and the south-west Pacific Ocean.

If such an earthquake occurs, Geoscience Australia seismologists immediately notify Emergency Management Australia staff who subsequently notify Australian authorities and Pacific Island nations of the risk of a tsunami hazard.

Lyle Stone, January 6