Your Preparedness CheckA 5-step process for building resilience to extreme weather events Step 1. Map your location Step 2. Your personal situation Step 3. Your property Step 4. Your neighbourhood Step 5. Information for your plan DO NOT MODIFY - Ready Check Tool - Your Neighbourhood Step 4. Your Neighbourhood Stronger together Communication is essential during an emergency. People will want to know if you are safe and you will want to know if others are safe. Extreme events rarely unfold the way we think and the ability to be flexible is essential in responding to dynamic and rapidly changing circumstances. The community surrounding your home may become critical to your survival or simply just help determine how easy it is to leave in a controlled and organised way. For example, neighbours may call on you for help and you need to know if others can help you. It is much easier to see things around you when they are in a visual format. Draw a rough map of your local area, marking the streets and houses around yours. Who do you know locally? Mark these on the map. Download a map template here. Other things to consider include: pets, hazards, useful resources, possible exit congestion points, neighbourhood safer places, schools and child care centres, nursing homes, local services, static water sources, community fire units, electricity substations, phone reception issues, traffic hazards. Mark two alternate exit routes on your map so you know how to exit if one route is blocked.Do you know your neighbours each side of you, behind you & across the road? Yes No Knowing your neighbours is important as you may need to help one another in an emergency – those behind you and across the road are just as important as the neighbours beside you during an emergency. Get acquainted with your neighbours as you may need to help each other in an emergency. Introduce yourself to all of your neighbours. If it seems an intimidating task, pop a note in their letterbox to introduce yourself. A simple wave, ‘hello’ or acknowledgement could be the start of a great friendship.Do you have your neighbours’ contact details? Yes No Great! Don’t forget to check you have the correct details every year.Exchange contact details in case of emergencies. During extreme weather you may need to contact each other, especially if you are not home at the time and need someone to confirm if things are ok.Would you be able to access your neighbour’s yard if they needed help or you needed an escape route? Yes No Great! Don’t forget to factor it as an alternate route in your emergency plan.Consider discussing emergency situations with your neighbours, especially to give assistance to one another. Don’t forget to get their contact details.Do elderly/disabled neighbours have assistance or a carer? Yes No Not applicable Exchange contact details of your neighbour’s carer in case of emergencies. During extreme weather and emergencies it may be useful to contact each other to confirm things are ok.Discuss emergency contingencies with your neighbours so they are not forgotten in an emergency. Encourage them to write an emergency plan too.Is someone normally at your home during the day? Yes No Exchange contact details with neighbours so you can contact each other if needed.Giving your contact details to neighbours so they can contact you if there is an emergency when you are away from home.Do you have pets? Yes No Your pets may need assistance in an emergency. If an area is not safe for you, it is not safe for your pets. Think about where, when and how you will relocate them to a safer place if required. Make a pet emergency kit and include it in your emergency plan. Information about pet safety in emergencies is available from https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/9429/Fire-Safety-for-your-Pets-Factsheet.pdf and https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/protect-your-pet and https://www.rspcansw.org.au/what-we-do/care-for-animals/owning-a-pet/disaster-management-plans/Do your neighbours have pets? Yes No Unsure Your neighbour may need your assistance with their pets in an emergency. Consider getting to know one another’s pets and any requirements they may have.If your neighbour has pets, they may need your assistance in an emergency. Consider getting to know one another’s pets and any requirements they may have.Would you be able to ‘rescue’ your neighbours pets if required? Yes No Not applicable Great! Discuss with your neighbour their preferred options for their pets. In an emergency, animals often become stressed so relocate pets early to a safer location. Don’t forget to note in your plan where their pet emergency kit is stored.Discuss with your neighbour the options available for their pets in an emergency. Are there any potential hazards in your property that may impact you, your neighbours and emergency services and your ability to leave the area? For example highly flammable vegetation, fuel storage, other flammable products, stored chemicals, gas bottles, guard dogs, electric lifts and travellators, flammable mulch, firewood. Yes No Determine the hazards and discuss options with your neighbours. Seek the advice of experts about how to minimise risk for the hazards in your property. Include these in your emergency plan so others know how to minimise the risk.Are there things about your village/township/surrounding area that could affect you and your property or your ability to leave the area? Hazards include high voltage power lines, fuel & gas storage, overgrown gardens & unmaintained houses, highly flammable items, roads subject to flooding, locked gates, traffic hazards, congestion points, blind corners. Yes No Note on your plan the hazards and their location in your surrounding area and avoid them when planning exit routes in your emergency plan. Be alert for any changes to your neighbourhood that might increase your level of risk.Be alert for any changes to your neighbourhood that might increase your level of risk.Do you or your neighbours have resources that could be used if needed? E.g. pool, water pump, water tank, chainsaw, generator, sandbags, tarpaulins. Yes No Unsure Great! Discuss emergencies with your neighbours, list the resources each of you have, where they are stored and opportunities for training one another in their use. Consider purchasing other equipment that you can use in an emergency.Consider purchasing equipment that you can use in an emergency.Discuss emergencies with your neighbours, list the resources each of you have and opportunities for training one another in their use. Consider purchasing equipment that you can use in an emergency.Do you know where to get information about an extreme weather event? Yes No Great! Consider writing in your plan your sources for finding out. Don’t forget to continue to monitor the event after the first phase has passed.Extreme weather warnings are forecast on most local news bulletins. The ABC is the official emergency broadcaster in Australia. Listen for emergency updates on ABC radio 702 AM or check http://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/state/nsw/. Other sites to check are the Rural Fire Service Fires Near Me app and the Bureau of Meteorology.Will you be able to communicate with others in your household using a variety of methods? Yes No Great! Remember to include contingencies in case a family member is away from home and needs to be reassured everyone is OK. Consider specifically listing the contact numbers of friends and relatives in your emergency plan in case you are unable to access the list on your phone.Choose more than one way to communicate with householders, including via a third person. Consider contingencies in case a family member is away from home and needs reassurance everyone is OK. List the contact numbers of friends and relatives in your emergency plan in case you are unable to access the list on your phone.Do you have a battery powered portable radio? Yes No Great! Tune in to ABC radio 702 AM, the official emergency broadcaster. A battery powered radio is important as electricity and phone towers may fail in an emergency. ABC radio 702 AM is the official emergency broadcaster.Do you have a trigger for when to leave your home? Yes No Great! Write your trigger for bush fire and flood in your emergency plan. It is important that everyone in the household is aware of and understands when to go, what to do and where to go.Work out a trigger for leaving if your household is exposed to bush fire or flood (steps 1 & 2 of this tool). Determine the triggers for preparing and when to leave. Remember earlier is better. It is important that everyone in the household is aware of and understands when and where to go and what to do.Do you know who you would contact if an extreme weather event occurred? Yes No Write contact details in your emergency plan and give them a copy of your plan so they know what you intend to do. Have a backup contact person in case you cannot contact your first option. An out-of-town contact could act as a conduit between family members if an event affects local contacts.Choose someone you trust and can cope in stressful situations. Have a backup contact in case you cannot contact your first option. Include their contact details in your emergency plan and give them a copy of your plan so they know what you intend to do. An out-of-town contact could act as a conduit between family members if an event affects local contacts.Do you have your own transport Yes always available Sometimes No Keep a spare key close by so you have ready access to keys.Your trigger for leaving should be much earlier than people who always have their own transport. If you rely on others for transport, include their details in your emergency plan. If left too late roads may be closed and they may not be able to reach you. Your trigger for leaving should be much earlier than people with transport. If you rely on others for transport, include their details in your emergency plan. If left too late roads may be closed and they may not be able to reach you.Do you know at least two alternate routes from your home? Yes No Great! Include the routes in your emergency plan. Check your routes for hazards specific to each extreme weather type to ensure they are the best routes to use. Use a map to determine the best ways to get to safety, taking into consideration possible hazards specific to each extreme weather type to ensure they are the best routes to use.Do you have a support network? Yes No Consider including in your support network people who can help you in various ways — emotionally, physically (somewhere to stay) and as a central communication point. Your support network can consist of people within your community and outside your community as you may need to leave your home for a period of timeDo you have a plan to let people know you are safe during & after an extreme event? Yes No Include in your plan the contact details of all of the people you need to notify that you are safe. Do not depend on your phone list as it may not be available.Include in your emergency plan the contact details of all of the people you need to notify that you are safe. Consider asking another person who is not involved in the emergency to contact others on your behalf to let them know you are safe, allowing you to deal with the emergency at hand.Do you have somewhere outside your immediate area that you could stay? Yes No Give that person with a copy of your emergency plan so they understand their role.In a disaster you may need to seek advice about emergency temporary accommodation in a safe area.Do you know the locations of your local safer place areas? Yes No Neighbourhood Safer Places in Wollondilly are areas of last resort during a bush fire emergency. In Wollondilly they are mainly in open spaces (playing fields) with no shelter and are some distance from bush fire prone land. Your trigger to leave should be early enough so you do not need to use a Neighbourhood Safer Place.Neighbourhood Safer Places in Wollondilly are areas of last resort during a bush fire emergency. In Wollondilly they are mainly in open spaces (playing fields) with no shelter and are some distance from bush fire prone land. Your trigger to leave should be early enough so you do not need to use a Neighbourhood Safer Place. The locations can be found at https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/neighbourhood-safer-places/Wollondilly-nspsConclusion If you have answered ‘no’ to several or some questions, it may be because you don’t know your neighbours very well. If you would like to get to know your neighbourhood better, Council can help by organising street meets. It is good to know your neighbours as you may have skills that can help them and they may be able to assist you in an extreme event. Contact Council to organise a street meet in your areaHere are some additional links that may be useful: Australian Communications and Media Authority – landlines with NBN in blackouts https://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/using-your-landline-phone-in-a-power-outage Digital radio information https://www.cbaa.org.au/listeners/discover-digital-radio Emergency alert over telephone http://www.emergencyalert.gov.au/ http://www.emergencyalert.gov.au/images/stories/FACTSHEET_Be_Mobile_Phone_Prepared_for_a_Disaster_October2012.pdf http://www.emergencyalert.gov.au/images/stories/Receiving_telephone-based_emergency_warnings_factsheet__2014.pdf http://www.emergencyalert.gov.au/how-does-mobile-phone-coverage-affect-location-based-warnings.html Red Cross Get Prepared app https://www.redcross.org.au/get-help/emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies/get-prepared-app Results will not be saved when the browser is closed as information is not saved on this web site. Step 1. Map your location Step 2. Your personal situation Step 3. Your property Step 4. Your neighbourhood Step 5. Information for your plan
