How to prepare your home for extreme weather

How to prepare your home for extreme weather

Australians live in a remarkable part of the world, but our wonderful natural environment comes with its dangers. Catastrophic bushfires, intense storms, sea surges and extreme temperatures are just some of the events we are required to deal with every year. Here you can learn how to prepare your home for extreme weather.

As a proud Queensland-based business, JW. Prestige Agents knows about difficult weather conditions. Many of our properties are situated around the Gold Coast hinterland, beach and coastal areas, and on Gold Coast waterways—each location posing its own series of challenges as adverse weather approaches.

But there are things we can do to protect our homes from wild weather. Below are some simple tips that can help get you through the next weather event with minimal damage to one of your biggest assets—your property.

But as always, safety comes first and we encourage you to do further research to ensure the safety of you and your pets. Let’s prepare your home for extreme weather.

Bushfire

If you live in an area prone to bushfire, there are a number of precautions you should be taking as fire season approaches each year.

• Keep your grass short
• Remove combustible material from your yard
• Keep gutters clear of leaves
• Keep pumps and water systems in working order
• Prepare a fire plan

If a fire is approaching, consider these points:

• Move your car to a safe spot
• Hose down vegetation and verandas
• Turn on sprinklers
• Block gutters and flood them with water
• Take down curtains and move furniture away from windows
• Fill buckets, sinks, bins, baths and other containers with water
• Soak towels with water and place at the base of external doors

Please visit the website of your nearest fire service (e.g. Queensland Rural Fire Service) for further detailed information about keeping safe and minimising damage to your property.

Storm Events

Storm events can include torrential rain, lightning strikes and extreme wind speeds, all posing risks to your property. Before storm season, make sure your home is prepared.

• Ensure trees are trimmed and dead branches removed
• Keep your roof well maintained
• Keep gutters and drains clear
• Install window barriers or metal screens if you live in cyclone-prone areas
• Prepare an emergency plan

As a storm approaches:

• Tie down, secure or remove outdoor furniture
• Move vehicles undercover and secure your boats
• Tape your windows using a X pattern using strong tape
• Unplug all electrical items
• Turn off power and gas if instructed to by authorities
• Close curtains and blinds

Visit the Queensland State Emergency Services website for more expert advice on how to stay safe and protect your home.

Storm Surge

Storm surges are commonly caused by storms and cyclones. Although they are not the same as a tsunami or tidal wave, storm surges move inland like a rapidly rising tide and can be extremely destructive. Here are some simple tips for preparing your property, especially if you plan on evacuating:

• Raise valuable items onto beds or into roof spaces
• Move vehicles, outdoor equipment, poisons, chemicals and rubbish to higher locations
• Empty and switch off fridges and freezers
• Turn off water, power and gas
• Put sandbags in toilet bowls and over bathroom/laundry drains to stop sewerage flow back

Review more information about storm surges on the Queensland Emergency Services website.