Be Prepared

Why is preparing for the wet season important?

It’s simple – being prepared means you can protect your family and minimise damage to your home and property.

During an emergency, it’s easy to panic and forget things. By spending some time thinking through an emergency before it happens, you’ll minimise uncertainty and be able to respond confidently and decisively. You’ll waste less time and get to safety faster with the people (and pets!) who are important to you.

Be prepared this wet season

Know the risk

When we talk about being wet season prepared, we mean being prepared for heavy rainfall –intense downpours in short periods of time, or prolonged periods of steady rain. In Queensland, this type of rainfall can result in flooding, so consider where water naturally pools and rises around your home and property.

Ask yourself:

Where is water likely to come from?
Do you understand how your catchment works? Learn why this is important here.
Does your property have a history of flooding?
At what height do the rivers closest to your home spill their banks?
Which rivers and creeks flood first when there is lots of rain?

To understand the flood impacts in your area, check the Queensland Government’s FloodCheck online map.

Know how to stay up to date with critical information.

During weather-related emergencies, your Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) is responsible for coordinating the response. The LDMG is made up of the Bureau of Meteorology and your Local Council. Sunwater works with them by closely monitoring our dams for spills and emergency events and reporting them directly to local councils.

Emergency information relevant to your area will be sent out by your LDMG and local radio stations.

Staying up to date is as easy as remembering ABC:

A is for the Sunwater App. Register for notifications about your local dam and you’ll receive alerts when it’s spilling or releasing water, so you don’t get caught unaware. The alerts will also keep you up-to-date with any other important notifications, such as boat ramp closures.

You can download from GooglePlay or Apple App Store.

You can also check our dedicated webpage for water levels at our storages or follow us on Facebook for notifications.

2. B is for the Bureau of Meteorology website (or app). This will keep you up to date with rain forecasts and river and creek levels. Check these regularly, as flooding can come from multiple sources.

3. C is for your local Council, which leads your LDMG. Your council coordinates all agencies involved in the response, and issues information about road closures and evacuation centre locations. Connect with your local council to learn more about your LDMG, including which channels they will issue alerts from during emergencies.

Create your own emergency action plan.

Create an emergency action plan for your family by visiting the Get Ready Queensland website. Their checklists will help you plan where you’ll go if floodwaters rise, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll transport your pets.
Sunwater operates its dams in accordance with each individual dam’s Operations Manual and Emergency Action Plan (EAP). The EAP outlines dam hazards such as floods and how these are managed during an emergency, and details how downstream communities should be notified. To view your local dam’s EAP, click here.
If you experience periods of prolonged heavy rainfall and localised flooding becomes a possibility, consider packing a bag of important documents, medications and pet food.

Once a year, review your emergency action plan.

Ahead of every wet season, review your emergency action plan. Update the details and check your evacuation route is still the best way to get to higher ground.

Remember, being prepared will save you precious time when it counts. Start planning today.

Be wet season prepared with the Sunwater App

Other resources

To further prepare you for the wet season, Sunwater has created the following resources:

Print these resources or keep them handy on your device for the upcoming wet season.