What is the risk of a Fiordland tsunami?
Emergency management officials in New Zealand are assessing the risk of tsunamis triggered by landslides in Milford Sound. The discussion was prompted by recent catastrophic flooding in Nepal, highlighting the need for better evacuation planning in high-risk tourist areas.
Why it matters
Proactive disaster risk management is essential for protecting tourist populations in geographically vulnerable regions.
The 'worst-case scenario' for a landslide hitting Piopiotahi/Milford Sound and causing a tsunami is among work underway on risks facing the tourist hot spot .
Research has already discovered the village could be struck in minutes by a tsunami in the area, with limited evacuation options.
The devastating Nepal disaster also came up during the discussion of an Emergency Management Southland report on Friday, which focused on landslides triggering a tsunami.
Large landslides had occurred in the past, and an Alpine Fault earthquake could trigger those in the future, the report said, "potentially creating tsunami that reach visitor and village areas within minutes".
Southland mayor Rob Scott referenced the recent Nepal flooding - believed to have been caused by a glacial collapse.
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