Malaysian Journal of Geosciences (MJG)

Malaysia is a rapidly developing country with expanding urban coastal populations, which in turn increases their vulnerability to tsunamis. This research sets out to establish the risk to Sabah’s coastline of a potential tsunami threat and identify the vulnerabilities of six large coastal communities in Sabah namely, Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau, to such a tsunami. Using topographical data from digital elevation models, mangrove forest distribution data from Global Mangrove Watch, as well as OpenStreetMap data, the creation of GIS maps allowed the identification of topographical vulnerabilities of these communities as well as the identification of vulnerable infrastructure with the use of GoogleEarth. This data was supplemented by information obtained from interviews with three Malaysian professionals whom possess earthquake and tsunami knowledge and experience. Vulnerable features for each community were identified and scored to provide a comparative figure. The coastal settlement identified as exhibiting the greatest vulnerability overall is Sandakan, mainly due to a lack of significant protective natural barriers, extensive low coastal elevation zones, a very dense coastal population within 1km of the coast, extensive number and size of water villages and a single route of access to and from the city. The findings of this research provide a foundation for further exploration into Sabah’s coastal vulnerability to tsunamis and provides an initial focus for the Malaysian Government and other agencies involved in disaster risk reduction to direct their efforts in reducing the vulnerability of Sabah’s coastal communities to a potential tsunami.