How to: Prepare your house for a natural disaster

Natural disasters strike Australia more often in the summer months and the Insurance Council of Australia has urged home owners to begin to prepare their properties now.

Storms occur more frequently between September and March, while cyclone season runs from November to April and affects the coastal regions of most of northern Australia.

In the southern states, bushfires are more common in summer (although the northern states face that hazard more often during the winter dry season).

This year, the bushfire threat could be worse than usual, according to the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre which released its Southern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for 2014-15 last week.

The report shows there is a greater-than-normal chance of bushfire across eastern Australia. Southern Queensland, New South Wales, central Victoria, and parts of South Australia and Western Australia were most at risk, the report found.

We’ve reviewed the advice from various bodies and compiled some checklists to follow if you live in an area that is prone to natural disasters. Early preparation could help save your property.  

Action plans

Emergency services organisations always advocate early planning for what you would do in an emergency, regardless of whether it’s fire, flood or storm that you’re facing.

• Involve every member of the household in formulating the plan
• Assess how the threat could affect your property
• Decide what to do in the case of emergency – will you stay or evacuate? If you’ll leave, how will you exit the property? Where will you go? If you stay, where’s the safest place on your property to shelter? How will you keep in contact if you get separated? What will you do with pets?
• Put together an emergency kit that includes items such as emergency contact numbers, a first aid kit, a torch with batteries, essential medications, important documents, cash and valuables. Keep this in an easily accessible location
• Check your home and contents insurance is up to date and adequate

Preparing your property

Bushfire

Bushfires have caused billions of dollars of damage across Australia over the past decade.

Last October’s Blue Mountains bushfires destroyed 200 homes, with $183.4 million in claims paid to policy holders.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says your home is more likely to survive a bush fire or ember attack if you have prepared.

In particularly high risk areas, rebuilding an old home to new standards would be the best course of action, but that might not be financially viable. Basic maintenance can help. This is what the NSW RFS recommends:

• Clean gutters of leaves and twigs
• Install metal gutter guards
• Repair damaged or missing tiles on the roof
• Install fine metal mesh screens on windows and doors
• Fit seals around doors and windows to eliminate gaps
• Enclose the areas under the house
• Repair or cover gaps in external walls
• Attach a fire sprinkler system to gutters
• Keep lawns short and gardens well maintained
• Cut back trees and shrubs overhanging buildings
• Clean up fallen leaves, twigs and debris around the property
• Have hoses long enough to reach around your house
• If you have a pool, tank or dam, put a Static Water Supply (SWS) sign on your property entrance, so firefighters know where they can get water

Source: NSW Rural Fire Service.

Storms and cyclones

Maintenance can also help your home to survive a storm or cyclone.

Queensland Government’s Department of Housing and Public Works suggests taking steps such as replacing rusted battens, fixings, screws and nails, as well as rotten or termite damaged timber.

Pay special attention to potential points of weakness on the building such as the roof, gable ends and doors and windows including garage doors. Also, check freestanding carports and out buildings, and outdoor equipment and loose items that could move around during a storm or cyclone and cause damage.

Shutters or metal screens fitted to windows can help to protect the property.

Stormwise, an initiative of the Queensland State Emergency Service (SES) and NRMA Insurance, says home owners should also keep gutters, downpipes and drains clear and remove tree branches that are close to the house.

Also, learn how to safely turn off the power, water and gas, Stormwise advises. If you have portable generators, only use them outside because they produce carbon monoxide, which can be deadly.

Flood

The local council of state emergency services for your area should be able to tell you whether your property is in a flood prone or flood risk area. According to the Insurance Council of Australia, about 7% of Australian addresses have some flood risk, and about 2.8% have moderate to extreme risk.

Floods can develop quickly. Even when there has been little rain locally, rivers can swell with storm waters further upstream. The Bureau of Meteorology, as well as local councils and emergency service organisations can provide information on where and when flooding is expected.

How often flooding occurs in an area is usually described by the number of years between floods. The Bureau of Meteorology says a “five year flood” means there is a one in five chance that such a flood will occur during any one year. It doesn’t mean that if an area flooded in one year, it is safe for the next four. Similarly, a much bigger flood such as a 100 year flood has a one in a 100 chance of occurring in any one year.

In flood prone areas, Stormwise recommends moving selected indoor items to a higher level, if possible. Poisons and garden chemicals should be kept well above ground level to minimise contamination of floodwater.

South East Queensland-based electricity company Energex recommends people in areas that are subject to flooding consider installing a surge protector to help protect sensitive electronic equipment, and relocating switchboards and wiring that sits below previous flood levels.