The past few years have seen an increasing number of natural disasters in Australia, including major floods and bushfires. Severe weather events are also becoming more frequent and are something that could affect any of us at any time.
Being affected by a natural disaster or emergency is stressful for everyone involved, but you can reduce this stress and ensure that you and your household stay safe, by being prepared
The Red Cross recommends the following steps to be prepared for an emergency:
Step 1: Get in the know, so you are prepared if something goes wrong.
Know how to manage your stress.
Know the situations that are likely to affect you, from weather events, to power outages, to medical emergencies.
Know who to contact in an emergency.
Know where to get information in an emergency – for details on finding local information visit https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/preparing-for-natural-disasters.
Step 2: Get connected so you have support in an emergency if needed.
Grow your community.
Identify a support network that you could call on an emergency.
Agree on three meeting places for your household.
Step 3: Get organised, to reduce stress and save you precious time as you recover.
Take out or update your insurance, e.g. for your home, health, business or income.
Store your important documents in a safe place other than your home – one option for this is the Australia post Digital iD app https://www.digitalid.com/personal.
Make a plan for your pets or livestock.
Step 4: Get packing, to save yourself time and stress in an emergency.
Consider the things that will help to keep you safe and limit the disruption to your life after an emergency.
Download your emergency pack list from the Red Cross here and build your own survival kit: https://www.redcross.org.au/emergencies/prepare/packing/.
For more details on each of these steps, visit: https://www.redcross.org.au/prepare/
Ready to get started with creating your own emergency plan? The Red Cross has a free downloadable emergency plan or you can build your plan using their Get Prepared app: https://www.redcross.org.au/emergencies/prepare/get-prepared-app/
It is also important to set a yearly reminder on your phone or calendar to check your emergency kit and make sure it is up to date.
References:
https://www.redcross.org.au/prepare/
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/preparing-for-natural-disasters
https://www.abc.net.au/emergency/plan-for-emergency-survival-kit/12412048
