Are you Emergency Ready?
Published on 09 September 2024
This Emergency Ready Week, 16 - 22 September, The Australian Red Cross is reminding us of the value in being prepared for any kind of emergency.
Getting prepared for an emergency or disaster is actually easy. 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.
Four simple steps can make you better prepared for any emergency:
1. GET IN THE KNOW:
Getting in the know is your vital first step toward being prepared for an emergency.
Get in the know about your risks, where to get information, who to contact and how to manage stress.
2. GET CONNECTED:
Connected communities help each other in an emergency and, if needed, during the recovery journey after an event.
Get connected by identifying emergency contacts, three meeting places for your household, and people who can help.
3. GET ORGANISED:
Getting organised will reduce stress and save you precious time as you recover.
Get organised with important documents and make sure you store these in a place other than your home, medical information, insurance and pet plans. You should also identify items of sentimental or family importance.
4. GET PACKING:
In an emergency, you often don’t have time to think, let alone pack. By packing a survival kit in advance, you can save yourself a lot of time and stress.
Put together a packing list to help you survive and personal items that are important to you. It’s also smart to identify and pack things that will help you re-establish your life if you lose everything. Copies of important documents to help identify yourself and personal items that hold special meaning to you and your loved ones.
The Australian Red Cross has a range of resources to help you prepare, including a Get Prepared app, survival kit, emergency plan, emergency contacts list, keepsake list, information to help manage stress and more. Find them at redcross.org.au/prepare.
Get Prepared App
Download the Get Prepared app to locate your local emergency services contacts and where to find information, identify a safe meeting place for you and loved ones and create checklists of what to do and what to pack. Available on iOS and Android.
How Prepared Are You? Take the Disaster Preparedness Quiz now!
Australia is no stranger to disasters. But in recent years, extreme weather events have become the new norm. From droughts to bushfires to floods, it seems we've experienced it all.
It's only a matter of time before another major disaster strikes. Emergencies can strike anytime, anywhere and without warning.
Are you prepared? Take the Quiz and find out if you are emergency ready.
START THE QUIZ