Floods · Basecamp

132 500 NSW SES (flood, storm, tsunami help)

Life-threatening emergency: call 000.

Warnings

Australian Warning System levels: Advice → Watch and Act → Emergency Warning (act immediately).
You may not get an official warning for a flash flood. Natural signs: rushing or pooling water, heavy and prolonged rain.
Flash floods can come within minutes, be several metres deep, rise fast, and happen away from where the rain fell.

The best action is to leave low-lying areas well before flooding begins, if it is safe, before roads close.
If you stay, SES may not be able to reach you or it may be too dangerous to rescue you. You may need to rely on yourself and neighbours.
Before leaving: turn off gas and power. Take Medicare card and ID, at least 5 days of medicines (an esky for cold ones), medical aids and their chargers, food and a can opener, a charged phone (use it sparingly).
Lift or sandbag what you can. Secure anything that may float.
Bring children indoors and away from drains, culverts and creeks.

In a building: go to the highest part of a sturdy building or high ground. Keep above the water. Avoid the roof cavity. Call 000.
In a car: stay in the car, get on the roof, or reach higher ground, whichever is safest. Keep above the water. Call 000.

Turn around at flooded roads. Find a safer way or wait. Only travel if it is essential.
As little as 15 cm of water can make a car lose grip and be swept away. Steering, engine, electric windows and doors can fail; water pressure can stop doors opening.
Newer cars are lighter and float more easily. A 4WD with a snorkel is not safe either; “wading depth” in the manual is for still water.
Get Ready Qld: 87% of lives lost were at a creek crossing, bridge or causeway; half of the fatal crashes were at night on poorly lit roads; almost half within 20 km of the driver’s home. There may be no “road closed” sign.

Return only when SES says it is safe.
Check the building is structurally sound before going in (windows, walls, roof). Beware of asbestos and other contaminants.
Make sure electricity and gas are off before going in; inspect with a torch. Anything electrical that got wet must be checked by an electrician; gas appliances and bottles must be checked too.
Treat fallen powerlines as live: stay 8 m (2 car lengths) away. Don’t touch electrics while wet. Only use a generator through a changeover switch.
Throw out food and water that touched floodwater.

Ask your council: could my property, my house floor, or my street be flooded or cut off? Which flood gauge matters for me?
Types: riverine (after days or weeks of rain), flash (heavy rain in a short time), and storm surge on the coast.
Check risk for school, work and relatives too, and plan evacuation routes.