Life in Australia is amazing – but not without risks. Storms, floods, bushfires, heatwaves, tropical cyclones and other threats always hover in the background. I currently live in the Netherlands, but it always saddens me to see reports of these kind of disasters that touch the lives of friends, family and other fellow Australians. Recently there were huge storms, and bushfires on the Sunshine Coast.
I also remember how frightening it was during the 2011 Brisbane Floods, when I was home alone in Kallangur (just outside of Brisbane) with 2 young children. I was listening to news reports and trying to decide what to do. We were fortunate to not be affected too much in the end, but it did make me realise the importance of being prepared.
Disaster Management Plan
Wherever you live in Australia (or the Netherlands or elsewhere for that matter), it’s well worth taking some time to locate and familiarise yourself with your local government’s disaster management plans.
This is from where we used to live – the Moreton Bay Regional Council: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Disaster-Management
The Queensland government also has a website: Get ready Queensland https://www.getready.qld.gov.au
Take into account that the internet may not be available in an emergency, so it’s useful to have a print copy of instructions somewhere convenient. Often local councils or state governments provide resources like this you can put on your fridge:
Crisis situations in the Netherlands
Now, where we live in The Hague in the Netherlands, we have the emergency siren test on the first Monday of the month (soon changing to a mobile alert) and emergency information online here: https://crisis.nl/wees-voorbereid/
Are you prepared?
I truly hope that no one reading this needs to live through an emergency or crisis, but please take some time to be prepared, just in case.
Renee 🙂
Dutch Australian 