Message from The Area Coordinator
Exciting times ahead for us all end of school for some, Christmas time with family and summer holidays. Oh yes and don’t forget the STORM SEASON. Are you all ready? We had a great talk from Melissa from Emergency Management Qld regarding the fact that we should all GET READY for whatever mother nature has ahead for us this summer. We should not be complacent thinking we don’t live near the bush so a bushfire will not affect us do you recall all those cars that were destroyed or damaged at Olympic Park in Sydney due to the careless action of someone dropping their cigarette amongst the car park bushes? Remem-ber the storm & power cuts from last Australia Day when all those houses in Logan Reserve were damaged? How are you organised for any evacuation or need to take a decision to protect your family? You can get information from the web site www.qld.gov.au/getready don’t expect help to arrive immediately in the event of a disaster remember there are over 250,000 people to look after in Logan and the SES cannot be everywhere at once. Do your bit first by helping prepare and how about joining the orange army to help out? www.emergency.qld.gov.au/ses
Our next event will be the Carols concert at Pinnington Park on Saturday December 7th starting at 5.30pm. In conjunction with PCYC, Bendigo Bank and local schools we will be having an evening to get you in the mood for Christmas not long now children! I understand that a certain jolly man in red will be arriving during the evening so bring a picnic blanket and/or chairs for what hopefully will become an annual event. Sausage sizzle, drinks etc will be available, also a raffle and some goodie bags as surprises for the children.
Remember no alcohol is allowed in council parks so wait until you get home the evening should finish by about 8.00pm.
The Road Safety Expo was deemed a great success and so we are already planning a bigger and better one for next year. At the recent Neighbourhood Watch Rally the Police Commissioner Ian Stewart declared ROAD SAFETY to be of such importance that he started his speech with his plans to reduce the road toll we can all play our part so be very careful this festive season you may be doing the right thing by not drinking but there are plenty of idiots on the road so you have to be wary. 6 people killed in 24 hours at the beginning of the month not much of a time to celebrate for their families! Always wear your seat belt and don’t speed or drink and drive.
There are big things planned for the future of NHW and I invite you all to become more involved if you don’t want to attend meetings that is fine (though we would always like to see new faces) but just look out for your neighbours. Perhaps you could help out the single parent family with no transport, or the person in your street who is living alone and needs help with their yard or shopping. With the advent of the social media age, we will be able to provide much more information on line and in an instant you will not need to wait for a monthly newsletter or meeting. We are to become much more of a community organisation and we will endeavour to put on more events next year our partnership with PCYC and Logan City Council will ensure that we will reach as much of our local populations as possible. But now it is over to you what would you like to see happen in your suburb—day time get togethers for example? Please email your thoughts crestmeadnhw@hotmail.com
I invite you to attend our AGM and end of year social get together on November 25th and wish you all a safe and happy festive season Take care Geoff
GET READY QUEENSLAND
Step 1 PREPARE YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN
Are you in a flood prone area? If you are separated when a disaster happens (at school or work etc) how will you stay in touch and where will you meet up? Where would you go if you need to evacuate your household? Compile a list of emergency contact phone numbers. If anyone in the family has specific medical conditions or special needs and will need assistance are you prepared? What plans do you need to make for your pets?
Step 2 PREPARE YOUR EMERGENCY KIT include items you would need for at least 3 days in case of disrup-tion to essential services such as power and water supplies
Also include the equipment you need to prepare meals with no power. Keep your kit in a waterproof storage container and store in an easy to access location. Check your kit every few months to stock up and rotate supplies (including medication) to ensure that provisions are fresh and safe to use.
Step 3 PREPARE YOUR HOME
Keep your roof in good condition and check it regularly. Keep gutters and downpipes clear so that water can drain away quickly. Trim trees and overhanging branches but BE AWARE OF ANY OVERHEAD POWERLINES Check and fix any corrosion, rotten timber, termite infestations and loose fittings. Ensure that your home, contents and car insurance is current and adequate. Check if your policy includes debris clean up and removal. Identify your strongest room to shelter in during a severe storm or cyclone. Identify where and how to turn off the main supply for water, power and gas. Have items on hand such as water storage containers, spare fuel for your
vehicle, camp stove & fuel for cooking without power etc.
Step 4 TUNE INTO WARNINGS
Tune in to your local radio and TV station to listen for warnings and weather updates and local community safety announcements. Log on to the Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au) for weather warnings. Qld Disaster Management website (www.disaster.qld.gov.au) for information on disaster events. Your local council for local information on the emergency, evacuation centres and routes and assistance after a disaster event. www.logan.qld.gov.au
DO YOUR BIT TO HELP REDUCE THE IMPACT OF A DISASTER IN OUR AREA—NOT IF IT WILL HAPPEN BUT WHEN!
