New Zealand’s tsunami death toll rises

James Goff ()
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James Goff: University of New South Wales

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2021, vol. 107, issue 2, No 42, 1925-1934

Abstract: Abstract It has long been understood that New Zealand’s death toll from historical tsunamis stood at one person, drowned by the AD1868 Arica (Chile) tsunami when it inundated the Chatham Islands. The evidence for this assumption is reviewed together with other historically documented events that point to dozens of tsunami deaths in New Zealand in the historical period, possibly as high as 37. A brief introduction to the potentially rich data source provided by pūrākau (oral histories) indicates that there is a long record extending back several hundred years of catastrophic waves devastating coastal communities. More detailed research of both pūrākau and the historical record will undoubtedly reveal more tsunami-related deaths although it is not necessarily the number that is important, but rather that these data provide an enduring reminder of New Zealand’s exposure to the hazard. This is not only pertinent to New Zealand but to all Pacific Islands in general. Research has tended to focus on those countries affected by recent large tsunamis at the expense of those with potentially rich oral histories and poorly researched historical data.

Keywords: Tsunamis; AD1868; Deaths; Oral histories; Historical; Prehistoric (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-021-04665-1

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