Miles Crawford

Tsunami’s are one of the biggest risks to Australia and New Zealand but there is little attention to the threats they pose. Miles’ research aims to inform public policy by investigating the interface between risk and emergency management to understand how risk informs government emergency management policies and procedures. Miles’ research looks at how tsunami risk modelling informs New Zealand local government policies and procedures. His study is using tsunami risk scenarios originating from an earthquake along the length of the Hikurangi subduction zone (off New Zealand’s North Island) to research the way risk is understood, communicated, believed, and used, as well as what existing factors limit tsunami risk awareness and understanding. Miles has found so far that the risk modelling has helped local councils understand the risk they face and what they can do to improve their risk management policies and procedures. Miles has presented his research findings at the CRC’s Research Forum in 2017 and 2018, and has been published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.