Household supplies – what supplies you need to be prepared
Get your household ready for an emergency. Work out what supplies you need so you are prepared. The Australian Red Cross has their Get Prepared app, which assists with building an emergency plan.
In an emergency, you might not have access to a supermarket or other shops or be able to leave your house for a few days. It is important to have a plan and a couple of days’ worth of supplies at home to get you through.
It is useful to do a stocktake of what you have at home before going shopping in an emergency. You may find that you already have most of what you need at home.
It can be useful to put everything you might need for an emergency in one place, making the items easily accessible.
Having dried and long-life food, as well as baby food and pet food, that doesn’t need cooking is important. Access to a BBQ or camping stove can also be beneficial so you can warm up food if the power or gas supply is disrupted. It can also be useful to have batteries at home to use if the power has gone out.
If you have a generator on your property to use in the event of a power outage, check that it is operational and that you have a fuel supply available. Make sure you are familiar with how to operate it and refuel it well before an emergency occurs.
Other useful tips:
- If the power goes out, use refrigerated or frozen foods first. These are safe for up four hours following power outage, and potentially longer if the fridge door stays closed.
- Ration the food and water you have based on how long you think you will be at home for.
It’s also important to discuss your emergency plans with family and friends. Consider how family members or friends who aren’t in your household might be able to assist you in an emergency or vice versa.
If your local shops are impacted by the emergency and cannot open, or you are unable to get there due to hazardous roads, food relief can be made available through outreach services such as Foodbank and the Australian Red Cross. Towns that become isolated are prioritised for the provision of emergency relief.
Telecommunications – What to do before you lose connectivity
Don’t rely on any single communications technology. To prepare for outages, you should have a back-up plan and an emergency kit, which includes:
- a mobile battery, power pack or car phone charger that you can use to charge your mobile phone
- a battery-powered radio with a spare set of batteries. A radio will help you stay tuned to news services for valuable information if you lose mobile or internet connection
- a paper list of important numbers that you can store somewhere safe and easy to find. You can find a list of important telephone numbers here
- cash, as EFTPOS or ATMs may not work during large-scale connectivity outages
If you are in a remote area, consider getting a personal locator beacon, UHF radio or satellite phone.
You can also set up your mobile phone with Advanced Mobile Location technology, which will provide greater location accuracy to Triple Zero during an emergency call. Find out more here.
NBN-connected landline phones will not work during a power outage. You will not be able to call Triple Zero (000) using your home phone. You can find out more information on NBN and power outages here: https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/learn/what-happens-in-a-power-blackout.
If you or someone in your home are dependent on telecommunications due to medical or special needs (for example, to use a medical alarm) contact your mobile or broadband provider to let them know. Make sure they have your up-to-date contact details.
Telecommunications – How travellers can prepare
Before you depart, plan ahead. Think about how you would communicate if mobile, landline and internet services were not available.
Also check local weather forecasts and adjust your travel if bad weather is predicted.
Pack an emergency kit that includes:
- a portable radio and a spare set of batteries
- a backup power source for your devices. For remote travel, consider taking a personal locator beacon, UHF radio or satellite phone.
- an amount of cash, as EFTPOS or ATMs may not work if there is a natural disaster.
- a paper copy of important contact details. You can find a list of important telephone numbers here.
When you reach your destination, find out where the evacuation meeting points are and make a note of the local radio station and their frequencies.
