Storm season is here and the State Emergency Service is warning residents to knuckle down on wild weather preparations, before it’s too late.
“If your gutters are full of leaves, the only place for the water to go is back into is the roof,” Logan SES Controller Jim Ferguson said.
This time last year, the Logan team received up to 60 call-outs for help.
However, the year or two before, Mr Ferguson said that number sky-rocketed.
“We had about 700 call-outs for help one season, a year or two ago; so you really can’t tell what’s going to come,” he said.
“On average, we get about 150 calls per season, each year.”
Fallen trees, collapsed roofs, damaged windows, as well as flooding, were the most common jobs reported.
“According to the Bureau of Meteorology, we can expect up to five cyclones this year,” Mr Ferguson said.
“Whether that’s going to hit us, I don’t know. It’s just always best to prepare.”
The volunteer suggested residents should clear gutters, secure loose items on their property, nail down roofs and have an evacuation plan in place.
“You also need to make sure you have a survival kit, just in case the power goes out or you and your family become trapped,” Mr Ferguson said.
“It should be filled with torches, batteries, long-life foods and water.”
For more information on how to become storm safe, or to become a volunteering member, visit www.emergency.qld.gov.au/ses.
Residents can also access the Logan City Council Disaster Dashboard, at www.disaster.logan.qld.gov.au, for all of the latest updates during a wild weather event.
