Be summer storm ready, urges Quirk

NEWS

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk is reminding Brisbane residents to prepare their homes and businesses for the upcoming summer storm season as part of the launch of council’s Ready for Summer campaign.

Cr Quirk said the $300,000 campaign would include information about flooding this year in response to recommendations by the Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry and council’s own independent flood review. He said 90 per cent of all recommendations were due to be completed by December.
He said council had also doubled the amount of preventative back burns it was undertaking this year in preparation for the bushfire season to 30 – about 75 per cent of which had already been completed – and had spent $1.2 million on 14 new custom-built fire management trucks.
The Lord Mayor said there were also plenty of simple things residents could do around the home that could make a big difference in the event of a severe storm, fire or flood this summer.
“It’s been a rough few summers for Brisbane and I’m sure the devastation of the January floods and even The Gap storms in 2008 are still fresh in many people’s minds,” Cr Quirk said.
“As a result we all need to be diligen
t about ensuring our homes and businesses are prepared for disasters ahead of time. “Council is doing everything it can to make sure Brisbane is prepared for any severe weather conditions that may head our way this summer, including spending $50 million on storm water drain upgrades and $2.5 million on supporting local SES volunteers.
“But there are also simple things like cleaning gutters and drains, raking up dry leaves and trimming trees away from roofs that you can do that will help minimise the risk of damage to your home this storm and bushfire season.”
Cr Quirk said one of the first things people should do is sign up to council’s free Early Warning Network, which issues alerts about severe weather heading towards Brisbane via email, SMS or phone.
“Personally I think this is one of the most important things people can do ahead of the storm season. It only takes a couple of minutes to join and doesn’t cost a cent but provides invaluable warnings about any severe weather conditions that are approaching Brisbane,” Cr Quirk said.
“Residents should also have an emergency kit consisting of a torch, radio, batteries and first-aid kit stored somewhere safe, as well as a list of emergency phone numbers such as family, Emergency Services (000), the SES (132 500) and council (3403 8888).”
Cr Quirk also encouraged Brisbane residents to download their free Floodwise property report and flood flag map from council’s website (www.brisbane.qld.gov.au). The $300,000 campaign included advertising on billboards, buses, social media, website and council publications as well as important fact sheets. Council would spend about $200,000 on the campaign with a further $100,000 in contra advertising such as the bus wraparounds, he said.