Prepare for storm season in SEQ

Know your household’s risks

Use Get Ready Queensland to make a household plan covering shelter, evacuation, contacts and pets. Discuss how you will communicate if power or mobile services fail. Review flood exposure, insurance and the needs of anyone who depends on powered equipment.

Prepare the home and a kit

Before threatening weather, secure loose outdoor items and arrange safe maintenance of gutters, drains and trees. Pack drinking water, shelf-stable food, necessary medicines, a torch, radio, batteries, chargers, first aid supplies and copies of essential documents. Include pet supplies and household-specific needs; use the official checklist for quantities and a full list.

When a warning arrives

Check Bureau of Meteorology warnings and instructions from local authorities. Bring people and pets inside, keep the kit handy and charge devices while power is available. Do not climb onto roofs or attempt outdoor repairs during a storm. Change travel plans if conditions are unsafe.

After the storm

Stay away from fallen powerlines, damaged trees and floodwater. Never drive, walk or ride through floodwater. Check Energex and QLDTraffic before travel. If there is immediate danger to life, call 000; follow emergency-service directions rather than this general checklist.

Make preparation a household job

Put one review date in your calendar before summer, then check supplies again after using them. Allocate who checks the kit, charges power banks and brings pets inside. Keep the plan accessible to everyone rather than only on one person’s locked phone.

A practical first pass

Use the official checklist to scale supplies to your household; this short list helps you organise the work.

• Read your local risks and decide where you would shelter or go if instructed to leave.
• Check food, water, medicines, pet needs and charging equipment; replace expired or damaged items.
• Keep key contacts and essential documents available offline and on paper.
• Arrange maintenance safely in advance; do not start roof, tree or electrical work in threatening weather.

Official details: Get Ready household preparation ↗ · Official emergency kit checklist ↗

Know which information answers which question

Use Brisbane weather for the forecast and its clearly labelled Bureau warnings link for official warnings. The service-status panel links to power outages, road incidents and transport disruptions. A forecast is not an evacuation instruction, and an outage map is not a guarantee that a fallen line is safe.

Your phone is only one part of the plan

Charge devices before conditions deteriorate and reduce unnecessary use; see battery saving. Keep another way to receive official advice and a paper contact list in case batteries or networks fail. Do not run generators inside or in enclosed spaces; follow the manufacturer and emergency authorities.

A household with one shared phone

Write essential contacts and the household plan on paper as well as saving them digitally. Decide who checks official warnings, who brings loose items and pets inside in advance, and where everyone can find the kit. Put a supply-review reminder in the calendar. Use the service panel to reach providers, rather than treating a failed internet connection as proof that there is no warning.