Preparing for floods and slips

By Frank Neill

yclone abrielle has once again demonstrated that we are now much more likely to be aected by ooding and slis, thanks to climate change. There are a number o things eole can do to reare or events like these.

ower outages have hit many thanks to yclone abrielle. Making sure your mobile hone is charged is one way you can reare yoursel. ou can also have battery owered lights, which is much saer than using candles. ne is to ensure heavy items in your yard are secure and won’t blow away. There are stories a-lenty o items like tramolines, barbecues and outdoor urniture getting icked u by winds. your home is ood rone, consider using sandbags to rotect it. onsider lacing items that would be damaged by water as high as ossible inside your house. our car, van or ute will be saest arked in a garage or carort during a storm. that is not ossible, it is worth considering arking your car o the road. Regular home maintenance can hel a lot when a storm hits. Having your gutters and drains clear o leaves and other items can hel reduce the eects o heavy rainall. n the case o high winds, ences can be hit and can even cause damage. hecking that your ences are in good condition and that loose material is ied or removed can lessen this risk. in doubt, evacuate your home. This may even save your lie, as we have seen with eole drowning in oods. t may also mean that you don’t have to be rescued rom a roo to. andslides also ut eole at risk another reason to evacuate i there is a risk o this haening.

Having ood in the cuboard or the ridge that does not need to be cooked is another good idea. There are also a number o stes eole can take to reare their roerties.

Make sure you have an emergency kit that is correctly stocked. s well as having such items as rst aid sulies and at least one change o clothing, you should have enough ood and water or at least three days. n emergency kit can be used when a number o natural disasters strike, not ust oods and slis, but also earthuakes or eamle. nd nally, check your insurance cover. t is imortant to review your insurance regularly, making sure that you have enough insurance cover to rebuild your home and relace your valuables ater an emergency.

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eah es

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