The Queensland Government has warned Queenslanders to prepare their homes and family for extreme weather this summer.
The week of October 9-15 was Get Ready Queensland Week, helping to raise awareness for the extreme weather Australians may face year-round.
A statement issued by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles detailed three simple steps homeowners can take to properly prepare themselves:
- Understanding risk;
- Preparing a household emergency plan, and;
- Packing an emergency kit.
Adding long-life food, drinking water, a torch with spare batteries and toiletries to your shopping list will help in case shops close, water stops or the power goes out.
Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson Laura Boekel said , “Even though El Nino and the positive Indian Ocean Dipole have been declared and are likely to increase the chance of heatwaves and fire dangers over the coming months.
” Queensland is also likely to experience severe thunderstorms that can bring damaging winds, rain and hail,” Ms Boekel said.
Eden Trees owner manager Phil Hackett said having the trees on your property maintained by a professional arborist was an important part of being storm-ready, with some of these benefits including:
- Safety: canopy cleaning removes dead, rubbing, broken or diseased branches which could otherwise be a hazard.
- Prevention: pruning branches away from buildings, power lines, gutters and drains can prevent storm damage.
- Access: canopy lifting raises a safe clearance for pedestrians and vehicles and maintains good visibility for traffic and signs.
For more information on storm and natural disaster preparedness, visit getready.qld.gov.au/
