Flood Deaths in Northern Territory
1st February 2018
FMA Corporate Member Risk Frontiers has put together a Briefing Note discussing deaths from flood events in the Northern Territory.
The Briefing Note examined the demographic characteristics of flood related activity and fatality ranging from 1960- 2017, and found that an increasing proportion of flood deaths were seen.
“The riskiest ‘activity prior to death’ was found to be crossing flood watercourses, which accounts for over a third (35%) of fatalities in NT: 67% of those were male. A total of 57% of female decedents were attempting to cross floodwaters. The second most risky activity (21%) was being engaged in an activity near floodwaters: males were overrepresented (100%)”.
Risk Frontiers also discovered alarming statistics regarding indigeneity from 2000-2017; the indigenous account for 65% of flood fatalities during this time period, with males accounting for 52% of all flood fatalities in the Territory.
The Note discusses the critical need for flood mitigation and community training in the territory, stating that ‘three key strategies should be to educate, pose consequences and apply structural interventions’.
