Australians warned to prepare for fires, cyclones, floods during high-risk season

Australia has been advised to get ready for the impending high-risk weather season, which could bring with it storms, flooding, fires, and cyclones.

As the country moves into the warmer months of the year, Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister stated on Tuesday that the federal government is getting ready for the worst-case disaster scenarios.

According to her, Australians should be aware of a variety of risks throughout the high-risk weather season, which typically lasts from October to April.

“Fire is one of them. But we are, of course, thinking about the cyclone season and we’re thinking about the risk of severe storms like some of the rain and flooding that we’ve seen in recent days,” McAllister told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.

“All of the information in front of us tells us we can expect severe weather to become more frequent and more intense in the coming years as a consequence of a changing climate. And so we do need to start preparing ourselves for that reality as a community.”

Destructive winds and heavy rainfall in Australia’s southeast in late August and early September caused over 100,000 houses to lose electricity.

Major flooding forced the evacuation of settlements in the island state of Tasmania, and two persons were killed by fallen trees, one in each of the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

In ahead of the high-risk season, McAllister stated on Tuesday that personnel from the National Situation Room, the government’s crisis management and coordinating center, are presently holding briefings with state and territory authorities.

On September 18–19, the federal government will host the second annual National Preparedness Summit in Canberra, bringing together representatives from business, government, and non-governmental groups to discuss how to improve readiness for potential disasters.