Queenslanders reminded to Get Ready for extreme weather
With a long, hot summer ahead, there is no doubt parts of Queensland will again be impacted by extreme weather.
Get Ready Queensland Week, 9-15 October 2023, is the time for all Queenslanders young and old, to get ready and be prepared for the possibility of bushfires, floods and cyclones.
Queenslanders are encouraged to take three simple steps to get ready for the impacts of bushfires, storms, floods and heatwaves - understand their risk, prepare a household emergency plan, and pack an emergency kit.
Get Ready Queensland Week launched today at events in Brisbane and Townsville with the message to plan ahead and pack an emergency kit.
The Get Ready Queensland program is a year-round, all-hazards, resilience building initiative to help communities prepare for natural disasters.
Research shows that almost half of all Queenslanders are already preparing their home and family by understanding how extreme weather can interrupt their lives, planning what they will do, and having supplies to keep them safe and comfortable.
Adding long-life food, drinking water, a torch with spare batters and toiletries to your shopping list will help you and your family if the shops are closed, the water stops or power goes out.
As part of the launch events, the Bureau of Meteorology revealed this year’s Severe Weather Outlook for Queensland after recently declaring that the El Nino weather pattern had arrived.
The Townsville event saw the launch of the Get Ready Queensland Trolley Tour, a week-long road trip of regional Queensland promoting the importance of preparing for extreme weather.
The Get Ready Queensland program is managed by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, the state’s lead agency for disaster resilience and recovery, and is sponsored by Suncorp with support from retail partner IGA.
Queensland is the most disaster-affected state in Australia.
Since 2011 we’ve experienced more than 100 natural disasters which have left a combined reconstruction and recovery bill in excess of $22 billion.
Get Ready Queensland Week is a reminder that almost every corner of our great state has been impacted by natural disasters at some stage – some many times.
In fact, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority is currently managing an active reconstruction program with an estimated value of more than $7.4 billion, comprising works from 32 events across the 2019-20 to 2022-23 disaster seasons.
We know more extreme weather is in store, even if we don’t know when, so it’s vital we’re ready when disaster strikes.
We want every Queenslander to share our vision of creating stronger, safer, more resilient Queensland communities.
While we can’t control the weather, we can prepare for its effects and reduce its impacts.
More information is available at www.getready.qld.gov.au.