As Hills residents, most of us are aware of the importance preparing our properties for the bushfire season.
Every year the CFS runs campaigns urging people to clean up their properties and prepare a bushfire safety plan.
Catastrophic bushfires in recent years have also served as reminders of the importance of preparation.
But what may be less front of mind is the importance of preparing your home for severe weather.
Spring is the busiest time of the year for our SES volunteers due to spring storms and it is important to recognise the dangers that arise during this season.
As highlighted by long-time CFS volunteer Mark Wood, there are different facets of severe weather events that can catch property owners out.
The SES outlines a series of simple measures people can implement in their home to help prepare for storms at this time of year, including cleaning their gutters, trimming trees, securing loose items around the home, checking insurance policies and, most importantly, having a plan in the form of a storm checklist, an emergency contact list and an emergency kit.
Like bushfire safety plans, it’s important that these plans are not only made, but rehearsed.
Emergency services work incredibly hard to support and protect the public during extreme weather and other natural events.
Many of these responders are volunteers who dedicate their personal time and leave behind their own properties and families to help others.
It’s important that we, as Hills residents, do our part to alleviate some of the workload of these volunteers by safeguarding our own properties and preparing for and knowing how to handle severe weather events and their impacts when they happen.
It can be as simple as planning what you will do if your household loses electricity for an extended period of time or ensuring that your gutters and maintained and cleaned regularly to prevent flooding.
Just as we do during bushfire season, let’s prepare accordingly for spring storms and severe weather and hopefully alleviate the load on some of our hard-working volunteers.
