Our Environment

Natural Hazards

Natural hazards such as bushfire, flood, storms and coastal hazards can threaten lives, property, infrastructure, the community and industries, and our natural environment.

We play a role in helping individuals and communities, businesses and governments to manage the risks they face from exposure and their vulnerability to natural hazards.  We also work to understand and plan for how they can impact, or offer opportunities, for the municipality’s community, economy and environmental values overall, from Climate Change for example.

We are part of the national networks for Emergency Management, Response, Recovery and Resilience.  Working with the State Emergengcy Service (SES) and their services, such as TasAlert.  Council also has a responsibility through Tasmania’s Planning System to reduce future risks, and avoid land use and development putting lives, important infrastructure, property, our economy and the environment at risk.

We’ll progressively add more Natural Hazards content here over time.

Scientists from the the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and Climate Futures Tasmania (both at UTas) came to St Helens on 18 June 2026 with a community information evening.

Around 30 people attended presentations and joined in discussion on a tide gauge project in Georges Bay and sea level rise risks, and on the Natural Hazards Atlas Tasmania.

Karen Palmer shared findings from a tide gauge project that included Georges Bay, research into future sea level rise, its implications for the Bay and coastal hazard risks.  We also heard from Annabel Bowden from the Climate Futures team on current work developing the Natural Hazards Atlas, an online resource.

Georges Bay has significant fisheries, settlement and community values around it and flooding from the catchment meets tides, storms and future sea level rise.  Discussion during the evening is helping inform a case study being prepeared for the Natural Hazards Atlas Tasmania.

Slides from the two presentations can be viewed and downloaded with the links below.  There is also an audio recording of the presentations (but not discussion).  And links to access the report and data from the Tasmania tide monitoring project ( which included three gauges at Georges Bay) and the Natural Hazards Atlas project.