Being prepared before a disaster hits could be the difference between staying safe or putting yourself and loved ones at risk.
Don’t wait for a disaster to happen before you think about what you need to do, how you are going to protect your home and belongings and how you and your family are going to survive.
Get Ready
Council is part of the NSW Government’s ‘Get Ready’ initiative which gives us five simple steps we can all follow to prepare for any emergency situation:
- Know your risk: Think about the area you live in and the types of disasters that could affect you.
- Plan now for what you will do: Sit down and talk with your family and plan for what you will do if a disaster affects your area.
- Get your home ready: Prepare your home by doing general home maintenance and checking your insurance.
- Be aware: Find out how to prepare and what to do if there is a disaster in your area.
- Look out for each other: Share information with your family, friends, neighbours and those who may need assistance.
Prepare and stay informed
Central Coast Emergency Dashboard
Accessing the right and most up-to-date information before, during and after an emergency is vital. The Central Coast Emergency Dashboard is the first dashboard for our region where you can:
- Find important information to help you get ready for any type of emergency
- See live incidents and emergency feeds from lead emergency services for the Central Coast
Be prepared and know what’s happening in real time.
Interactive mapping tool
Find out whether your home or property is prone to bushfire, flooding or other risks through our interactive mapping tool.
Emergency Ready Now Podcast
As a community, we’ve displayed great strength in working through these challenges together, but what do we do after they pass and how do we learn and prepare for next time?
The new Emergency Ready Now podcast shares people’s stories about disaster recovery, community and mental wellbeing to explore these questions and help us become more resilient and connected in the wake of disaster.
Explaining emergencies to children
The Central Coast can be impacted by many types of emergencies which can cause stress and anxiety, especially in young children who do not fully understand the situations.
We have been using The Birdie Tree books in our Childcare Centres with great results in soothing anguish, concern, and reassuring children that while these emergency events do happen and may mean big changes to them, people will come and help them through it.
There are five books which we have added to our online storytime readings:
- Birdie and the virus
- Birdie and the fire
- Birdie and the flood
- Birdie and the very hot day
- Birdie and the drought
If you struggle to explain the importance of emergency preparation and resiliency to your children, watch the videos.
Build your resilience
Resilience Journal for disaster recovery
While emergencies and disasters are difficult to predict or control, our ability to adapt and respond to these experiences is something that we - as individuals and as a community - can actively work to develop. This is known as building resilience.
We have developed a Resilience Journal that includes information, stories and activities to build your own and your communities’ resilience. It acts as a ‘one-stop-shop’ of knowledge, resources and self-reflection, covering topics such as:
- how and when to access mental health support
- self-care resources
- self-assessment tools
- journaling activities
- emergency preparedness.
This initiative is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and the NSW State Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Council’s role in an emergency
During an emergency, Council is not an Emergency Service Provider. Our role is to support the lead Emergency Service Provider with the resources, people and equipment they need for their emergency and recovery plans.
Emergency Services
Lead emergency service providers
| Emergency TYPE | RESPONSIBLE AGENCY | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|
| Animal, Plant Disease, Rodent or Insect Plague | Department of Primary Industries | www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity 1800 680 244 |
| Bushfire | NSW Rural Fire Service | 1800 679 737 www.rfs.nsw.gov.au |
| Food industry | NSW Food Authority | In a disaster for advice |
| Flood, Storm, Tempest, Tsunami | NSW State Emergency Service | 132 500 www.ses.nsw.gov.au or www.stormsafe.com.au |
Hazardous material
|
| www.fire.nsw.gov.au |
| Law enforcement during a declaration, Terrorist act, Search and Rescue | NSW Police Force | Police Assistance line 131 444 www.police.nsw.gov.au |
| Major structure collapse | Fire & Rescue New South Wales | www.fire.nsw.gov.au |
| Pandemic | NSW Health | www.health.nsw.gov.au |
Other important contacts
| SERVICE | CONTACT | WEBSITE |
|---|---|---|
| LIFE THREATENING - Emergency (Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade) | 000 (from a landline) 106 (for people with hearing or speech impairment) 112 (from mobile phones) | www.triplezero.gov.au |
| Ausgrid | 131 385 | www.ausgrid.com.au |
| ABC Radio - ABC is the official emergency broadcaster | ABC Central Coast - 92.5 FM ABC Sydney - 702 AM ABC Newcastle - 1233 AM ABC Listen App (Download and select ABC Central Coast station) | www.facebook.com/abccentralcoast |
| Council After Hours (Rangers as well as roads, water and sewer emergencies) | 1300 463 954 | www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/reportaproblem |
| Council direct information (we issue a weekly enewsletter. During emergencies, we will regularly include updates) | Council enewsletter | www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/council-news/sign-to-our-enews |
| Council Social (regular posts will made on our social channels during emergencies) | Facebook and Twitter |
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