Get ready

Severe weather & flooding - including storm surge

Before the storm season begins, follow the guide below to prepare yourself and your family.

Check and clean your roof, gutters and downpipes. If any roof tiles or sheets are loose, have them repaired.
Trim trees and remove branches that overhang buildings. Call a professional tree trimmer if they are near power lines.
Identify loose objects in your yard, such as outdoor furniture and toys, which will have to be put away or secured if a storm approaches.
Protect sky lights with wire mesh and fit glass windows and doors with shutters or insect screens.
Have a supply of plastic shopping bags or sandbags to fill with sand for emergency storm water diversion. Sand for sandbagging can be obtained by contacting Council on 1300 883 699 or SES on 132 500. Tips on how to sandbag.

Be aware of severe storm patterns in your area, for example, which direction do the storms typically come from, where does storm water flow, where the rivers and creeks are, is your property at risk of storm tide inundation, and what are your potential evacuation routes.
Identify the safest place in your home to shelter should a severe storm become destructive. Typically, this will be the bathroom or laundry, or somewhere central in or under the house away from windows.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is an excellent source for notifications and monitoring of severe storm activity. They provide a 7-day weather forecast as well as rainfall and storm activity radar images, flood warnings, and river height gauge readings.