DID we dodge a bullet this week or is it still coming?

The 5.8 magnitude earthquake which struck north east of Airlie Beach was felt by many people in Central Queensland as a bit of a rumble.

Not surprisingly it was those in the older stone and brick buildings who felt it more.

It serves as a warning to us of what might be most at risk of collapse if we ever get a big one.

The impact of a 6 magnitude quake or more would be devastating to this city, but so would a category 5 tropical cyclone.

We know what category 1 Marcia did to us last year. Yes, you heard right, just a category 1.

That's what the Bureau of Meteorology officially graded the Rockhampton event despite damage and effect here matching the level of a category 3 cyclone.'

Regardless of the number, we know only too well how it affected us as individuals.

The lesson from previous disasters is we learn to be better prepared for future extreme occurrences on an individual and community scale.

The danger is that with every passing year we avoid a major disaster (flood, cyclone, fire and earthquake), the memory of that flood or cyclone fades as does preparedness.

One town that can't forget is Clermont.

Yesterday that community commemorated the 1916 flood which sent a wall of water through the town, killing more than 60 people.

It led to the town being shifted to higher ground.

That was a massive undertaking - but there was no option considering the scope of the disaster.

There are other communities in the region such as Rockhampton and Emerald which remain at high risk of major flood damage.

The cost of protecting these centres with flood mitigation projects is very high - but the state and federal governments must consider the future savings that would come from the eduction in repair work.