Stay informed
- The Wollondilly Emergency Dashboard is your ‘one stop shop’ for disaster and emergency information in Wollondilly including road closures, power outages and emergency warnings. Save it to your favourites list.
- Use the BOM Weather app with push notifications for your location, or visit BOM Warnings, for severe weather alerts and rainfall forecasts.
- Tune into 702 ABC (AM radio) or 97.3 ABC Illawarra (FM radio) for local information.
- Keep up to date with council impacts and assistance via our social media channels: Facebook and X
actions to take
Refer to your emergency plan
Emergency Plan
Emergencies can happen at any time. You can reduce the impact of emergencies by being prepared. Your emergency plan is tailored to you and covers the steps you need to take if you receive an emergency warning or are impacted by a disaster or emergency.
- The Australian Red Cross has a range of useful emergency management resources that can help you prepare including RediPlan. RediPlan has been designed to provide an easy-to-follow set of actions to help you plan for emergencies.
- Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP), is a conversation guide used by people living with disability to tailor emergency preparedness to their individual support needs.
- Don’t forget to plan for your pets in an emergency.
- Small businesses can check out the Get Ready Business: five step guide to preparing for disasters. for managing potential impacts to your business and livelihood.
Home Emergency Kits
A home emergency kit has items you may need if you have to evacuate your home in an emergency.
- Visit the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Get your Emergency Kit together page to know what to pack in your own kit.
- Visit the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Bush fire survival plan page to start making a plan.
Wollondilly Emergency Management Guide
The Wollondilly Emergency Management Guide is a useful resource to step residents through key areas of preparedness, including where to source information and what to do in a emergency situation.
Australian Warning System
Learn about the Australian Warning System and decide what you will do if you receive a warning.
Get Ready Animals
Planning how to take care of your animals before an emergency helps to keep everyone safe. Emergencies such as floods and bushfires can happen very quickly, ensure you make an Animal Emergency Plan
During a Severe Storm
- Park vehicles under cover. If outside, find shelter away from trees, power lines and metal structures. Once inside, stay away from windows and disconnect electrical appliances.
- For non-life-threatening storm emergency assistance, such as trees falling on your roof or driveway, contact NSW State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500, or request assistance via SES
- Stay away from fallen power lines and immediately report them to Endeavour Energy on 131 003
- If you have solar panels, they will continue to produce electricity even if the mains power has been disconnected. Assume the system is live and stay away.
During a Flood
- If it’s flooded, forget it! Never drive through floodwater.
- A car can be moved by as little as 15cm of fast flowing water.
- Most flood fatalities occur in minor or moderate floods from people attempting to cross a flooded road, most often when they are trying to make their way home.
- Avoid walking, swimming or playing in floodwater. Avoid drains and culverts.
- For non-life threatening flood emergency assistance, where your house is flooded or about to flood, contact the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500, or request assistance via the SES contact us
During a bushfire
- Follow the current bushfire warning and instructions which will be available on the Wollondilly Disaster Dashboard.
- If you have a bushfire survival plan, follow it now.
- Do not expect a firefighter at your door – there are not enough crews to assist every home.
Neighbourhood Safer Places
The NSW Rural Fire Service has a list of Neighbourhood Safer Places in Wollondilly. Neighbourhood Safer Places are a place of last resort during a bush fire emergency. They are to be used when all other options in your bush fire survival plan can't be put into action safely.
During a heatwave
- Stay cool by turning the air conditioner on or going somewhere that has air conditioning like a shopping centre or library and drink water regularly (even if you do not feel thirsty). Find out more on the NSW Health Beat the Heat.
- Be on the lookout for signs of heat-related illness. Check on people who may be more at risk of heat-related illness including the elderly, babies and very young children and pregnant or breast-feeding women.
For small business
Visit the Small Business Commissioner for tailored resources to help you respond and communicate so you can get back to business sooner when disaster hits.
Stay healthy and safe
Your safety during a disaster should be your number one priority. Visit NSW Health for advice on how to stay healthy and safe during disasters, including food and medication safety.
About Evacuation
If you are directed to evacuate by emergency services you should do so – they are trying to protect you from harm. Refer to your emergency plan about where you will go and what you will take with you.
Unless you are directed to evacuate by emergency services, consider whether it is safe to shelter in place - this means staying at home if safe to do so. If you have an emergency kit packed and ready, sheltering in place could be a safer option than driving elsewhere if the roads are flooded or debris, or if visibility is limited due to smoke or severe weather conditions.
In the unlikely event that you need to evacuate, you will usually have three options.
OPtion ONE
Stay with friends or family
- You will be sharing this space, including toilets and showers, with fewer people than if you go to an emergency shelter such as an evacuation centre.
- If you must leave your home, this will be your most comfortable option as you know and trust the people you are staying with.
Option TWO
Stay in commercial accommodation
- If you can’t stay with family or friends, your next most comfortable option will be to stay in a local motel or hotel where you will have the comfort of your own room.
- There are no private rooms at emergency shelters, instead you will be sharing a large open space with many other residents.
OPTION THREE
Attend an emergency shelter
- Seeking refuge at an emergency shelter should be your last resort.
- At emergency shelters you will be sharing a large open space with many other residents.
- You will not be able to bring your pets inside (unless they are a registered service dog ).
- You will be required to abide by a code of conduct.
- Council only publishes emergency shelter locations at the time they are needed. This ensures that shelter we open is the safest option based on conditions at the time.
People living with disability
- Your most comfortable option will be to stay with friends or family, or in accessible commercial accommodation.
- If you can’t stay elsewhere, you are always welcome at an emergency shelter and we will do our best to assist you.
- While accessibility features are a key component of selecting potential emergency shelters, unfortunately the nature of disaster events means that emergency shelters may not meet all needs of all people with disability.
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