Quantifying Social Vulnerability: A methodology for ... - EarthByte

Figure 4.1: Registering 6.9 on the Richter Scale, the Meckering earthquake of 1968 destroyed the smalltown located 130km east of Perth. Structural damage from the event can still be seen today in buildingsin the Perth CBD.also several limestone belts to the north and south of Perth where hazardous karst limestonesystems are located, while the city’s coastline suffers from coastal erosion as aresult of high winds and storms.4.1 Perth Cities ProjectPerth is the location currently being researched for Geoscience Australia’s multi-hazardrisk assessment study referred to as the Perth Cities Project. Beginning in 2001, thePerth Cities Project 1 covers an area represented by 46 Local Government Areas (LGA),from Gingin in the north, south to Busselton and east to Northam. As the entire Pertharea is too large for this vulnerability study, a smaller area has been chosen and isrepresented by a collection of 224 Census Districts, involving the Wanneroo and Swanlocal governments and is shown in Figure 4.2.4.1.1 Study AreaThe study area selected for this case study is within the Perth Cities Project area shownin Figure 4.2. The collection of Census Districts within the study area also aggregateto Statistical Local Areas (SLA), so that benchmark or comparison data are readily1 The study has required the development of collaborations with State and Local Government andprivate companies in order to exchange data and align risk management needs. Due to these strongcollaborations, data availability and spatial information, the Perth Cities project provides an ideal casestudy opportunity for the application of the social vulnerability methodology47