Referencing 110 years of insurance claim data, a significant change in weather patterns on the Northern Beaches has been detected. We are experiencing a higher rate of storms, flash flooding and bushfires, and we are already paying the price for it through increased insurance premiums.
In the last 10 years, seven out of 10 weather events were storm or hail related, with most claims resulting from damage from trees and water damage.
Bushfires are another key risk – think of last year’s bushfires that put properties in Cromer at risk (read here). Claims showed the risk of bushfires wasn’t necessarily from the flames, but the embers igniting debris, with timber decking and fences being the first point of ignition.
So, how do we prepare?
NRMA Insurance Help Nation has partnered with Australian Red Cross to run workshops across the Beaches and well beyond to help residents prepare.
Prepare an EmergencyRedi Plan
Manly Observer recently attended an Australian Red Cross EmergencyRedi Plan workshop held in Dee Why.
Australian Red Cross has been helping people prepare for, cope with and recover from emergencies since 1914. Emergency RediPlan is an award-winning and internationally recognised disaster preparedness guide, designed to assist individuals and households create their own personalised emergency plan and prepare themselves for the longer-term psychosocial impacts of an emergency.
According to the course convenor, Milo, being prepared can be extremely helpful as it helps you respond more quickly in an emergency and potentially might reduce the cost of the impact of the emergency.
It can be done online, or via the app (Get Prepared) and outlines four steps to plan for an emergency.
- Get in the know
Understanding the risks you face, how your life might be disrupted and who can help is the first essential step to being prepared.
It’s not only important to understand the local risks of where you live, but also where you spend time – for example, a work location or a regular holiday destination.
Local councils, the rural fire service and Help Nation website have information on risks in your area.
In the event of an emergency, 702am Sydney provides up-to-date information. Manly Observer News App ( includes a link to Council’s Emergency Dashboard).
Useful apps to follow are BOM (which can provide alerts for severe weather), Hazards near me (you can set alerts for your area) and Emergency Plus (a way to community your location to emergency services).
- Get connected
People who are more connected to their local community are less vulnerable to the effects of an emergency. They are also more likely to receive more positive support from their community after an emergency, which tends to help in their recovery.
Research has found neighbours and people passing by at the most likely to help in an emergency.
Identifying a personal support network, growing your community, and writing important phone numbers (in the event your phone runs out of battery) are important. Australian Red Cross also recommends identifying a meeting place and an out-of-area meeting place in the event you and your loved ones cannot return home.
- Get organised
While most of us think of what we would grab in the event of an emergency, it’s equally important to think about how we’d recover after the emergency. This step is about minimising the disruption caused by an emergency to get back to your life as quickly as possible.
This can include storing key documents on a hard drive or cloud. It also includes reviewing your insurance, identifying next of kin and power of attorney in the event something happens to you, updating your will, making a financial plan in the event of an emergency and writing down your emergency plan.
The EmergencyRedi Plan template can be found here.
- Get packing
It’s time to get practical. Packing a kit of items that will help you during and after an emergency is an important way to prepare practically for an emergency. Having the things you need to cope with a situation will help you reduce anxiety and stress and give you a sense of confidence and control.
The items should be reviewed regularly and be packed in something that would be easy to grab and carry if in a rush.
Australian Red Cross has a ‘Get Packing Checklist’ available here.
Useful numbers and apps
Police Fire Ambulance: 000
SES: 132 500
Poisons Information Line: 13 11 26
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36
Manly Observer News App ( includes a link to Council’s Emergency Dashboard).
