Western Sydney Residents Urged To “Get Prepared” For Summer Emergencies

We’ve had our fair share of emergencies here in the Hawkesbury, so getting prepared for summer emergencies should be high on our agenda.

The peak body representing local government in Greater Western Sydney, the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), is urging people to get ready for extreme heatwave, fire and flood emergencies this summer by preparing emergency household plans.

The Greater Western Sydney region stretches over 8,948 square kilometres, ranging from densely populated metropolitan areas, to farmlands, and the World Heritage Area of the Blue Mountains.

WSROC President, Councillor Barry Calvert said extreme weather events had heightened challenges for Greater Western Sydney communities, as both terrible floods and bushfires in recent years had shown.

“During severe heat waves, too, people in Greater Sydney have experienced as much as a 13 percent increase in mortality (excess deaths), according to NSW Health research.”

Western Sydney is typically six to ten degrees Celsius hotter than the rest of Sydney during extreme heat events.

“For Emergency Ready Week this year (16 to 22 September), we are joining with the Australian Red Cross to remind all Australians of the importance of being prepared to reduce how much disasters may impact our loved ones,” Councillor Calvert said.

Australian Red Cross recommends four simple steps to make yourself better prepared for any emergency:

Get in the know - about your risk, where to get information, and how to manage stress;

Get connected - identify emergency contacts, meeting places, and people who can help;

Get organised - with important documents, medical information, insurance and pet plans;

Get packing - with a list to help you survive and personal items that are important to you.

The Red Cross has a range of resources to help you prepare, including a “Get Prepared” app, survival kit, emergency contacts list, keepsake list, information to help manage stress and more.

Find them at www.redcross.org.au/prepare

“Being prepared and getting ready for emergencies is important for communities to strengthen our ability to survive, adapt and thrive - no matter what comes our way,” Councillor Calvert said.

“Spending as little as five minutes can bring big benefits, and being prepared can make an emergency less stressful, give you more control, and reduce the impact on you and those you love.

“The Get Prepared app helps residents connect with key support people, accomplish simple tasks to make loved ones safer, and protect the things that matter most to them.”

The Get Prepared app is a free and easy-to-use, one-stop tool to help you prepare for any type of emergency.

Residents can:

• Establish a quick and easy network of support with three key contacts;

• Review the risks relevant to where they live;

• Create checklists of actions to make an emergency plan; and

Save the emergency plan as a PDF to be printed and shared with others.

Visit www.redcross.org.au/prepare for further details.

• Topics:

• Emergency Services