11.2 You just heard a warning on the radio about a cyclone that is about to hit your area. What precautions will you take to ensure your own and your family's safety? (Writing tip: Start your answer with the sentence stem 'I will take the following precautions to ensure my own and my family's safety during a cyclone:)
Answers
Answer: Prepare and/or check your cyclone plan and emergency kit.
A plan is vital because when a cyclone happens, there won't be time to think. Everyone in the household needs to know what to do.
You will have a better chance of surviving if everyone in the family agrees on a plan before cyclone season.
Make sure you have a battery-powered radio as part of your emergency kit, in case of power failure and mobile networks going down.
If your home is in a low-lying area, decide where will you and your family will go in case of storm surge.
What is storm surge?
Storm surge can be extremely destructive when more intense cyclones make landfall. So how can we be prepared?
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Ask your local council if your home is built to cyclone standards.
Are you insured? Make sure it covers you for storm surge, flooding and cyclone damage, including clean-up and debris removal.
Check your roof and walls and repair any loose tiles, eaves or roof screws.
Ensure windows are fitted with shutters or metal screens and that shutters and locks are working.
Trim any branches and treetops hanging over your house and clear gutters of leaves and debris.
Secure boats, caravans, trailers, garden sheds, rainwater tanks, LPG bottles and solar panels.
Make sure your household is familiar with the Standard Emergency Warning Signal or SEWS (this is what it sounds like) which is generally broadcast when a cyclone is 12 hours or less away.
Decide how you will look after your pets and animals and what you will do if you must leave them behind.
They're generally not allowed to go with you to a temporary evacuation shelter, so you'll need to decide where they'll shelter during the cyclone.
Think about what items your pets may need and include them in your emergency kit.
If an official watch or warning is issued, you should:
Tropical cyclone categories explained
This is the tropical cyclone category system as used by the Bureau of Meteorology:
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Stay tuned to your local ABC Radio station on a battery-powered radio and check the ABC Emergency Twitter and Facebook pages regularly for instructions and updates on the cyclone as its path can change quickly.
Familiarise yourself with some of the facts behind tropical cyclones through the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
Check that your emergency survival kit is complete, and you have it on hand.
Ensure you have at least 3 litres of water per person per day for at least 3 days.
Let neighbours know a cyclone watch/warning has been issued.
Use sandbags to mitigate flooding or storm surges — check with your local council for sandbag locations.