Risk management of extreme weather events: A case study of Coffs Harbour Base Hospital, Australia

In Australia climate change is expected to generate more extreme weather events such as heat waves, bushfires, storms and floods. Given Australia’s relatively high exposure to climate extremes, many hospital facilities are exposed to such events. Using a single case study research the risks of flooding to a major tertiary hospital in Australia are explored.  The results identify five key areas of risk which include: the availability of essential (building) services; the physical integrity of the hospital; continuity of service delivery; effective inter-agency communication and access to and from the hospital for staff and patients.