Cashing in to protect homes

BEING prepared is part and parcel of living in the Far North.

The weather can throw up some challenges, particularly in the wet season, with cyclones and heavy rains leading to flooding and destructive winds wreaking havoc.

Residents of the region are well used to stocking up and having cyclone plans in place well before the storm hits.

Some have been known to secure their home and jump on a plane to get out of harm’s way until the cyclone passes.

But for most it is being organised and riding out the weather.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s spring outlook for 2020 is predicting a high likelihood of above-average rainfall across Australia in the coming season and the tropical north is no exception.

Wet weather across the Far North will be heavily influenced by a La

Nina event, which has a 70 per cent chance of forming, and would mean a higher likelihood of cyclones during the wet season.

Some prudent property owners are cashing in on cyclone-proofing grants and there has been an increase in lower-income families taking advantage of the state and federal governments’ Household Resilience Program home cycloneproofing fund.

The program is booked out with about 100 Far North businesses reaping the benefits. About 314 applications were approved in the latest round of funding.

Previous programs have resulted in some homeowners saving an average of 8.5 per cent on insurance premiums and others up to 25 per cent.

Not only are they saving money but protecting their homes too.