Summer Safety for the Gympie region

The importance of Summer Safety is being highlighted to residents and visitors to the Gympie region as the summer season begins. The El Niño weather pattern confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) increases the risk of extreme weather.

To help the Gympie region plan for all possible weather events, council has launched a Summer Safety initiative to provide tips and information to help members of the community prepare, reducing the potential impacts of storms, floods, weather events or bushfires.

Chair of Local Disaster Management Group and Mayor Glen Hartwig said the Gympie region community knows well how challenging extreme weather can be. The 2022 flooding events were the second highest on record for the region.

“We have an amazing community here in the Gympie region. The community spirit, and the way everyone bands together, is one of the many reasons people love to live here,” Mayor Hartwig said.

“As we enter the summer months and the risk of extreme weather increases, we want to ensure everyone in our community stays safe. Yes, summer is commonly associated with holidays and sharing time with family and friends, but it’s also an important time for us to each take some steps to prepare ourselves and our families for the possibility of wild weather.

“We want everyone in our region – residents and visitors alike – to have a safe and enjoyable summer,” Mayor Hartwig said.

Gympie Regional Council Disaster Management Coordinator Murray Heron says taking responsibility for safety and disaster preparedness is up to all of us.

“Knowing where to find the information is a great start,” he said.

“Council has an online Disaster Dashboard where you can find live and up-to-date information and warnings relating to current weather events, bushfires, road closures, flood mapping and power outages”.

Summer Safety is an initiative to help the local community prepare for extreme weather events of all kinds. Whether it’s planning the safety of your pets, to cleaning out your gutters, and making emergency plans and kits, this information will help you stay safe this summer.