Cyclone Checklist

If you live in Northern Queensland or Northwest WA, you might well have knowledgeable a cyclone or 2. According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Australia has just more than a dozen cyclones, on typical, each and every year. And although we cannot handle the weather, there are things that property owners can do to aid decrease the prospective damage to their home. A swift checklist to aid you prepare for a cyclone is as follows:

Before the cyclone season starts:

• Verify your house just before the start off of cyclone season to ensure that the building, fences and outhouses are secure, that there is practically nothing structurally requiring repair (verify for corrosion and termite harm) and that any trees on your home are trimmed. Do not overlook to verify your roof and gutters, your garage door and your window frames and locks.

• Clean up your yard. The more unnecessary “stuff” you leave lying around your property, the much more operate there could be for you to do at quick notice is a cyclone warning is issued. So hold your property as tidy as attainable and make sure that you have a protected and secure location for any outdoor furniture to be stowed if required.

• Place with each other an emergency kit of items that you may well need to have if a cyclone hits and the power goes out. Critical issues to include are torches, a battery-powered radio, further batteries, a very first help kit and any required medicines. You must also include masking tape and scissors (to tape your windows if required), have some bottles of water handy and some food.

• Have a list of emergency numbers and know the frequency of your regional radio station.

If there is a cyclone warning:

• Put petrol in your auto, make certain you have lots of drinking water and make sure your smartphone and iPad are completely charged

• Lock away or secure any outdoor things.

• If your windows are not shuttered, then board up or tape (in a criss-cross pattern) all windows. If you have curtains or blinds, draw them down to safeguard oneself from attainable broken glass.

• Pack an evacuation bag, just in case, with all the usual issues that you would take on a weekend away.

• Make sure that all automobiles, including boats, caravans, bikes and scooters, are safely beneath cover.

If a cyclone is going to hit:

• Turn off the electrical energy, gas and water.

• Put on tough clothing and enclosed footwear. Even if it is hot, thongs and a t-shirt are not appropriate clothes to deal with a cyclone as you run the threat of injury from shattered glass and debris.

• Keep every person indoors (such as your pets) and stay tuned to your local radio station and the BOM site for updates.


• If an evacuation order is issued, make certain you adhere to it. Take your evacuation bag, emergency kit, food and water and your pets. Attempt not to delay evacuating as you risk getting caught in targeted traffic, in floodwater or even in the cyclone.

If you are unlucky enough to suffer harm from a cyclone, make contact with your house and contents insurance coverage provider as quickly as possible, to locate out what actions you need to take to submit a claim. And if you don’t have it yet, you can evaluate residence and contents insurance policies here.

Cyclone Checklist