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Science
Phil R. Cummins, Professor, Geoscience Australia

Not if, but when: unless Papua New Guinea prepares now, the next big earthquake could wreak havoc in Lae

Brendan Esposito/AAP

Earthquakes can be especially devastating for developing countries, where competing priorities can stymie resource allocation towards earthquake resilience.

Even in tectonically active areas, where tectonic plates meet and scrape against one another, large earthquakes may not occur often enough to seem like a priority compared to more immediate concerns. That is, until one devastates a populated area, as we’re now seeing with the tragedy in Afghanistan.

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