Planning and Preparing for Emergencies

One of the most important things you can do to help keep your family safe is to put together a Home Emergency Kit.

A Home Emergency Kit has items you may need if you have to evacuate your home in an emergency. It can also be used if you have to stay in your home when essential services have been cut off. You can also make up a smaller bag to keep in your car or office.

Getting started on your Home Emergency Kit

Get together with everyone in your household to make a list of what you will need.

The kit is a collection of everyday items that you and your family will need:

• In case of an emergency like a storm, bush fire, flood or power outage
• At other times when you may not have access to normal utilities
• If you have to be evacuated.

You can get most items at your local supermarket or hardware store.

Choose a sturdy, easy to carry waterproof storage box for your Home Emergency Kit. If you can't complete an emergency kit all at once, buy or gather one item each week until your kit is complete.

Items that should be in your Home Emergency Kit at all times include:

• Portable radio with spare batteries
• Torch with spare batteries
• Candles and waterproof matches
• First Aid Kit
• Copies of important family documents (see below)
• A copy of your Household Emergency Plan (indicating actions to be taken during emergencies)
• A copy of your Bushfire Survival Plan
• A waterproof bag for valuables and mementos
• Rubber gloves

Items to put in your Home Emergency Kit when floods, storms or other emergencies are predicted include:

• Medications
• Fresh food and drinks
• Valuables or mementos (such as photograph albums, jewellery, computer files and special toys for your children)
• Any special needs for family members

Important family documents can include:

• Wills
• Insurance policies
• Passports
• Tax File Number
• Immunisation records
• Bank account numbers
• Credit card account numbers
• Inventory of valuable household goods
• Important telephone numbers
• Family records (birth, marriage and death certificates)

On a regular basis, check and re-stock items if you need to (remember to check use-by dates on batteries and gloves).

Also, keep a list of emergency contact numbers on your fridge.

Do you have family members with special needs?

Don't forget to include provisions for anyone in your family with special needs such as elderly, disabled, infants or pets:

For babies

• Formula and bottles
• Nappies
• Medication

For adults

• Medication
• Contact lenses and supplies
• Glasses

For animals

• Food and water
• Medication
• Leash/muzzle/cage

Further Information

Red Cross REDiPlan

Home Emergency Kits - NSW Government

SES Get Your Kit Together

Bush Fire Survival Plan

NSW Government - Get Ready NSW

Vulnerable people and people with disability are at higher risk of getting hurt or cut off in the event of a disaster emergency. It's important to be aware of the following in you live with a disability or care for someone that does or is vulnerable;

1. Know your risk
2. Be prepared and plan for a disaster with disability
3. Give your plan to carers or family support
4. Prepare for disasters with disability

Council is not the lead agency in the event of an emergency however, it has a key role in response, relief and recovery. It also lends support to the various combat agencies (SES, RFS, etc) by the sharing of information.

Find some resources and information about supporting people with disability or vulnerable people in disaster emergency situations below;

• AIDER (Assist Infirm, Disabled and Elderly Residents) is a free, one-off service which supports some of our most at-risk community members. The AIDER program is designed for people who have limited domestic support available from family, relatives, friends or other services. This could include older people, people living with a disability, and people who are already receiving community assistance and services. Their property must also be on bush fire prone land (land that can support a bush fire or be subject to bush fire attack).

• The Red Cross Redi-Plan is designed to provide an easy-to-follow set of actions to help plan for emergencies

• The RFS also advocate for Community Protection Plans, which cover things like:

  - the level of bush fire threat to a community, such as a town or village

  - options available to the community prior to and during the impact of bush fire

  - access to the area, as well as ways people can leave in the event of a bush fire

The people in a community play an important role in developing a Community Protection Plan. Community meetings and workshops help explain the process. Not all areas will have a Community Protection Plan, nor will every area require one. However, if one you are interested about the potential for a plan to be made in their area, you can do so through RFS.

• You can also contact your RFS local brigades.