Prepare yourself and your family
Taking some simple steps to prepare will reduce the impact of a natural disaster or emergency on you, your family, friends, and neighbours. Here are some tips and useful resources to help you get started:
- Understand your risk. Everyone’s disaster risk is different. Some natural disasters are determined by location, whereas others can happen to anyone at any time. Discuss your risks with family, friends, and neighbours. This information will help you prepare a plan and emergency kit.
- Make a plan. When making a plan, consider members of your family, neighbours and vulnerable persons you know. Keep your plan in an easy to access place and include important details such as key phone numbers, insurance details, and contacts for relatives and friends.
- Prepare an emergency kit. A basic kit might include three days’ worth of non-perishable food, drinking water, warm clothes, medications, first aid supplies, important documents, valuables, batteries, torches, basic toiletries, a radio, and phone charger. See our useful resources for more information.
- Check your insurance policies. Ensure insurance is current and adequate for your home and vehicles.
- Review and update your Bushfire Survival Plan as a family each year.
- Prepare a plan for your pets.
- Know where to go for information and warnings.
Council’s Disaster Dashboard provides up-to-date information and warnings relating to bushfires, weather events, road closures, flood mapping and power outages. On the Dashboard, sign up for council’s free ‘Opt-In Alerts’ service to receive text (SMS) and/or email notifications that will be sent during disaster events. Click on the ‘Opt-In Alerts’ button and follow the prompts to subscribe.
Useful resources
Understand your risk | Get Ready Queensland
Prepare your emergency plan | Emergency services and safety | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)
Make your emergency plan | Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (qfes.qld.gov.au)
Emergency Survival Kit List | Get Ready QLD
Pack your emergency kit | Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (qfes.qld.gov.au)
Prepare Your Emergency & Evacuation Plan | Get Ready QLD
Prepare for bushfire season | Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (qfes.qld.gov.au)
Pet emergency plan | Emergency services and safety | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)