Be Emergency Ready 

Build self-resilience and get prepared

We can't stop disasters from happening, but what we can do is reduce how much they affect us by being prepared. 

Extreme weather events and the COVID-19 pandemic have been challenging for our communities.

Beat the Heat

In October 2021, three community information sessions were presented by Australian Red Cross, State Emergency Services (SES), Lane Cove Council, City of Ryde Council and Willoughby City Council to support our residents to become more resilient in emergencies. View the recordings of the workshops below:

Learn how to prepare your home for an emergency with the NSW SES:

Are you ready for an emergency? A workshop with the Australian Red Cross:

Get Prepared app: Download today!

Download the free Get Prepared app to prepare for an emergency

Do one simple thing to prepare for an emergency. Download Get Prepared, co-created by Australian Red Cross and general insurer IAG, to keep your emergency plan close to hand.

Lane Cove Council encourages you to prepare and stay safe in a disaster or a time of crisis by downloading and completing an emergency plan on the Get Prepared app.

The app helps you connect with your key support people, accomplish simple tasks to make you and your loved ones safer, and protect the things that matter to you.

Get Prepared is a free and easy to use, one-stop tool to help you prepare for any type of emergency. You can:

• establish a quick and easy network of support with your three key contacts
• review the risks relevant to where you live
• create checklists of actions to make an emergency plan
• save the emergency plan as a PDF to be printed and shared with others.

Lane Cove Council is supporting our residents to become more resilient to disasters. As a participating Council in the Resilient Sydney program, we are collaborating with the Councils of Sydney to create a metropolis that is connected, inclusive and resilient.

Do one simple thing to make you safer in an emergency. Download Get Prepared.

Get Your Family Ready

Each year, communities across NSW experience bush fires, home fires, floods, storms, heatwaves, power outages and other emergencies. 

It's important to be aware of and prepared for seasonal hazards, whether you're at home, at work or away on holidays.

Get ready in five simple steps:

1. Know your risk. Think about the area you're in or the location of your holiday destination and the types of disasters that could affect you.

2. 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 or when you are away on holidays.

3. Get your home ready. Prepare your home by doing general home maintenance and checking your insurance coverage.

4. Be aware. Find out how to prepare, what to do if there is a disaster in your area or while you are away on holidays and connect with NSW emergency services or keep on top of news reports if travelling so you can stay informed.

5. Look out for each other. Share information with your family, friends, neighbours and those who may need assistance.

In an emergency such as an extended power outage, or a tree down on a house or a flash flood, you often don't have time to think of what you need to take with you, let alone the short time that you may have to pack and leave your home.

Be Storm Safe

Severe thunderstorms are the most common type of storms in New South Wales, causing more damage than any other short duration weather event. 

While they can occur at any time, severe storms are most likely to hit Sydney from October to March. They can last from 10 minutes to several hours, with very strong winds, heavy rain and hail causing flash flooding, power outages and damage to property. 

NSW State Emergency Services

• Phone: 132 500
  
• Website: www.ses.nsw.gov.au 

Be prepared for storms by following these simple steps:

Prepare your home

• Clear guttering and downpipes of leaves, trim trees and remove overhanging branches so that they are well clear of your home. You may need approval from Council before pruning or removing your tree. Penalties apply for unauthorised tree work. To check if you need approval, please view information about Trees.

• Check and secure tiles or roofing sheets.
  

• Protect skylights with strong wire mesh, and fit windows and glass doors with shutters or external metal insect screens.
  

• Clear your yard of loose materials and rubbish that may blow about and be dangerous.

• Prepare an emergency kit, which should include a torch, first aid kit, battery operated radio, and your emergency phone numbers.

• Check your home insurance is up to date and adequate.
  

• Secure your pets as loud thunder can scare them. Ensure your pets are microchipped and have registered up to date contact details with Council.  
  

• If you own a boat, check that it is securely moored or protected on land.

When a severe storm is approaching

• Listen to radio 702 AM and ABC Sydney news weather bulletins regularly throughout the day for storm warnings.

• Go online via your smart phone or PC to Bureau of Meteorology website for warnings.

• Shelter and secure pets and animals.
  

• Put garden furniture, toys, etc inside.

• Park vehicles under solid shelter or cover with firmly tied tarpaulins/blankets.

• Secure all external doors and windows and draw curtains.

• Put valuables, medications and spare warm clothing in plastic bags with your emergency kit and keep it handy.

• Disconnect all electrical items, external TV/radio aerials and computer modems.

When the storm strikes

• Stay inside and shelter well clear of windows, doors and skylights.

• Listen to radio 702 AM on your portable radio for severe thunderstorm warning updates.

• Go online via your smart phone or PC to Bureau of Meteorology website for warnings.

• If outdoors, seek solid enclosed shelter (not a tree or metal structure).

• If driving, pull over and wait—if possible in a spot clear of trees, powerlines and streams.

• Don't use a fixed telephone during a thunderstorm due to lightning danger.

After the storm has hit

• Beware of fallen powerlines, damaged buildings and trees and flooded watercourses.

• Listen to radio 702 AM for storm updates.

• Go online via your smart phone or PC to the NSW State Emergency Service website for advice specific to your local area.
  

• Check for structural property damage and cover with plastic sheeting and nailed on wood strips.

• Check on and help your neighbours.

• Don't put yourself in unnecessary danger by sight-seeing.

• If you require assistance due to flood, storm and tsunami emergencies:

• Call the NSW SES on 132 500

• In case of power failure, fallen powerlines, electrical problems—call your local power supplier

• In case of gas or water supply interruption or emergencies—call the relevant local supplier

• To arrange permanent repairs to your home, call your insurance company for a claim form

• For information on power outages, visit the Ausgrid website.

• Clean up after the storm

Local Emergency Management Plan

In the event of an emergency, residents in the Lane Cove local government area are covered by the Willoughby/Lane Cove Local Emergency Management Plan.

This plan is produced by the Local Emergency Management Committee made up of representatives from councils, NSW Police, Fire & Rescue NSW, NSW State Emergency Service (Willoughby/Lane Cove) and other local organisations.

The Willoughby/Lane Cove Local Emergency Management Committee is responsible for:

• Planning and preparing for emergencies

• Co-ordinating emergency responses

• Aiding recovery efforts
  

Emergency response capabilities are tested on a regular basis.

This section of Council's website provides the community with information about what to expect in the case of an emergency in the Lane Cove area. Residents can also download a flyer containing key information to help them prepare for an emergency.

What happens in an emergency?

In the case of a life-threatening emergency, call 000. NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW State Emergency Service are often the first on the scene in an emergency. Welfare, transport and health organisations also provide essential services.

NSW State Emergency Service will assist with genuine emergencies relating to flood or storm.

What To Do?

In the case of an emergency, residents in the area will be requested to either:

Seek Shelter - this is the most common form of response

Evacuate - this is a rare occurrence.

Residents may receive an emergency alert in which case they should follow the instructions given. In general, in the event of an emergency, residents should:

 1. Seek Shelter:

• Stay inside the residence

• Close all doors and windows

• Turn off and block all air conditioning vents

 2. Stay Informed:

• Check local radio, television or electronic media

• Evacuations are a rare occurrence; await official notification by emergency services.

• Residents may also evacuate prior to an event if they feel it is safe to do so.

 3. Prepare:

• If an evacuation is necessary this will be announced by the NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW State Emergency Service or NSW Ambulance Service. They will also instruct you on the safest location to proceed to.

Emergency Warning

Emergency alerts will be sent in the form of:

• Recorded voice messages to landline numbers based on handset location

• Text messages to mobile phones based on your billing address

• If you receive an Emergency Alert, follow the instructions in the message.

You may also hear the Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) which is a distinctive tone played on radio or television in the event of an emergency.

Evacuation

In some instances, evacuations of a house or area may become necessary. The organisations that have the authority to initiate an evacuation are the NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW State Emergency Service and the Ambulance Service.

If any of these officers instruct you to evacuate, you must do so - they are doing it to save you from a possible threat to your life. Go directly with all members of your family, your pets and medications to the evacuation assembly area. You may also receive evacuation instructions via the media or public address system.

It is advisable for all residents to consider the possibility of evacuation as part of their emergency preparedness plan. Decide what you believe are the most important possessions to save and keep them in one place. This way, you won't leave anything behind that you wanted to take, and you will be able to quickly evacuate the premises.

Willoughby/Lane Cove Local Disaster Plan

If an incident that is being managed by one combat agency grows to such an extent that it will require the support of several Combat Agencies then the provisions in the Willoughby/Lane Cove Emergency Management Plan are utilised to either aid the Combat Agency in co-ordinating support or take over the control of the emergency leaving each Combat Agency to manage their individual areas of expertise.

The Willoughby/Lane Cove Local Emergency Management Plan outlines the arrangements that will occur between organisations to effectively control an emergency or co-ordinate emergency support.

Combat Agencies
The designated combat agencies for various incidents are:

Hazardous Materials

System
The emergency management system is organised so that if the required service cannot be obtained by the Willoughby/Lane Cove Emergency Management Plan, then it will be supplied by the next level up which is the North-West Metropolitan Region Emergency Management Plan; or the next level up which is the NSW Emergency Management Plan
Emergency Management Plans are kept up to date by continuously reviewing the plans and completing at least one exercise per year.

Activation
The Willoughby/Lane Cove Emergency Management Plan has access to a Local Emergency Operations Centre that can be set up so that it is ready to control/co-ordinate activities when required. As soon as a potential emergency is identified, the Local Emergency Operations Centre is placed on alert and its delegated officers and support staff starts monitoring the situation.

If the emergency or incident develops further, the Local Emergency Operation Centre is placed on stand-by and the relevant control and liaison officer's report to the Centre ready to play an active role in controlling or co-ordinating support.

The Local Emergency Operations Centre becomes fully activated when, either a combat agency requests support assistance, when the Local Emergency Operations Controller determines that assistance is required or when the combat agency passes over the control to the Local Emergency Operations Controller. The Local Emergency Operations Controller, together with the staff of the centre, then takes over the control or co-ordination of support to the Combat Agency for the emergency.

Planning
In order to aid the co-ordinated support in emergencies, the Willoughby/Lane Cove Emergency Management Plan requires a Hazard Analysis to be completed for the area. This identifies the most likely sources of risk. Sources identified in this way are emergencies such as earthquakes, major transport accidents, air disasters, high winds, etc. For each of these events, the plan considers what preventative measures can be taken before the emergency occurs and which Combat Agency will be best suited to manage each emergency scenario. In order to assist in this, a number of supporting and sub plans are prepared at local, regional and state levels.

Emergency contacts

Police, Fire, Ambulance

Phone: 000

NSW State Emergency Service

Phone: 132 500

Further Information

• Emergency Management Flyer
• Information for Greenwich Residents
• Media Release for Greenwich Residents
• Willoughby/Lane Cove Local Emergency Management Plan