Arabic version: هزات الجنوب الشرقي تجدد الدعوات إلى الاستعداد

According to ABC News, recent earthquake activity in South Australia and Victoria has prompted renewed calls for households, authorities and councils to prepare for future tremors. More than 1,100 people reported feeling a magnitude-4.9 earthquake about 100 kilometres offshore from South Australia last week, while Victoria recorded 18 earthquakes over a month, including a magnitude-4.8 event felt by more than 20,000 people.

South Australian emergency services have held earthquake-response training in multiple regions. SA Police acting officer-in-charge of the emergency and major events section Inspector Bradley Winn said the state was fairly “seismically active”. While most activity was minor, he said earthquakes remained a risk that required preparation.

Winn said people should have an emergency plan similar to a bushfire survival plan. During shaking, he advised people to drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or desk if available, and hold on until the shaking stops. He said people should not run outside during or immediately after shaking.

South Australia’s largest earthquake since contemporary records began in 1837 was a magnitude-6.5 event on May 10, 1897. Centred near Kingston South East, it caused considerable damage and injured about 50 people. A magnitude-5.4 earthquake struck Adelaide in 1954, damaging more than 3,000 buildings.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Stacey Martin said research suggested earthquakes as large as magnitude 7.2 could be possible in South Australia, particularly along the Willunga fault south of Adelaide. He said predicting earthquakes was not scientifically possible, and urged continued monitoring and use of hazard models. Seismological Association of Australia chief seismologist David Love said councils with a history of earthquakes should ensure buildings, especially older structures, can withstand them.