Nature inspired: Live the beauty and be prepared
Keeping a kit on hand with emergency supplies and important documents is a wise move with storm season on the horizon
THIS time of the year means warm weather, long holidays, early mornings playing at the beach and warm evenings enjoying cool drinks, writes Helen Stubbs.
With thousands of nature and citybased activities to entertain locals and visitors of all ages, the Gold Coast is a glittering playground – a city born of silver waters, golden sand, and inspiring natural beauty.
As a city built in nature, residents treasure the landscape to maintain the city they love.
Immersed in nature, locals enjoy its many gifts, but also have to be prepared for its mood to darken, by preparing an emergency kit.
The kit should contain enough water and food to last for three days, as well as a battery-powered radio and torch, spare batteries, a first aid kit, plus items people might not be able to go without, such as medication, baby formula, pet food and more.
Tallebudgera resident, Kirsten Allen, experienced flooding first hand in 2017 after Cyclone Debbie.
Unfortunately it took a severe weather event, but she now keeps a kit on hand with emergency supplies and her important documents.
“We knew the water was going to come into our yards but felt confident we were safe,” she said.
“We’d had heavy rains in the hinterland before, but houses hadn’t flooded. We had a barbecue with our neighbours, taking care of each other as we watched the floodwaters come into the bottom of our acreage.
“People with goats and horses moved them to higher ground.
“The water started to recede and we thought it was over. We put our bins out and went to bed.”
Ms Allen said the shock came when a neighbour’s boy woke her household at 10pm and they saw a wall of water coming towards the houses.
“Half the houses in the street flooded to ankle or knee depth,” she said.
“It was alarming watching the wall of water coming, and we felt helpless because there was nothing we could do to stop it.
“It was nerve-racking watching neighbours carry their pets and children to a neighbour’s house on higher ground, watching a teenage boy carrying a toddler, through waistdeep water, to safety.
“We all banded together and helped each other out, and the next day received a lot of support from people coming to help, including our local and state government representatives.”
Similarly, local mother and teacher, Lisa Nielsen has experienced damage to her house in high winds.
During the Brisbane floods of 2011, her husband was evacuated from work.
“When we were walking at Binna Burra before the bushfires, I talked to my son and his friends about what we’d do in fire,” Ms Nielsen said.
“You need to talk with kids so they think about the risks.
“When the parks are closed, it’s important to keep out. Even after fires, burnt trees can become unstable and fall.”
The City of Gold Coast website
We all banded together and helped each other out, and the next day received a lot of support from people coming to help
– Kirsten Allen
advises residents to make an emergency plan with their family or household so everyone knows where to go and who to contact if they are caught in a severe weather event.
Ms Nielsen said that some local schools have flood plans for staff and students due to roads getting cut off.
The City of Gold Coast website offers a range of resources to assist locals to prepare for weather events, including the City Dashboard, which lists current information on weather warnings, road conditions and power outages, resources for making a plan as well as what to do during and after a natural disaster.