No, seriously, you need to get ready. Why? Because storm season is once again approaching! I've blogged about prepping for the unexpected before, and one of the things I am hellishly passionate about is being somewhat ready for things like rain, hail, wind, lightning, floods, bushfires, blackouts, cyclones and plagues. Ok, maybe not so much that last one (though speaking as someone who has lived through the horror of a mouse plague, I would not wish one on my worst enemy).
This year, Queensland Government has launched Get Ready Queensland week. It runs from 14-20 October and focuses on knowing the risks, being prepared, staying alert and knowing when to take action. Visit their website here for more info,or hit up your local council site. My council, Moreton Bay, will be having stalls at local Bunnings as well as sausage sizzles around various neighbourhood centres, to help educate people on how to prepare for storm season.
You can even download their brochure here. It's full of great tips!
Yesterday, hubby and I decided to muck in and try to clear some of the shed-building debris that has accumulated in our yard. There were steel offcuts, wooden fence palings and the entire old garden shed to be gotten rid of, plus some old chairs that we have been meaning to throw out for years.
So we borrowed a trailer from a friend and loaded it up. Twice. Two trips to the dump later, we have managed to get rid of most of the major risks. Can you imagine if any of this stuff had gotten airborne in a windstorm?
It was a heck of a lot of work but very worth it - not only for the peace of mind but having that junk out of the backyard is pretty great too!
There are still quite a few things we need to do to be completely ready - clean the gutters, do a battery check on all our torches, do an inventory on our go-bags, check the drains, do a stocktake on the pantry and make sure we have bottled water on hand.
And THEN, I might feel prepared for what mother nature decides to throw at us this year.
Do you prep for storm season? Got any hot tips?
Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm 33 and searching for my passion.
Until then, I slog away in a cubicle working full-time and focus on enjoying my downtime with things like TV (my old friend), movies, twitter, (trying to) cook, reading and hanging out with my hubby. My head is turned by things like vintage homewares, stationery, chocolate and scrapbooking. I blog about whatever takes my fancy.
I bought a cheap gas stove/burner from Kmart so it's easy to cook food in the event of long power outages. Though I'm kind of ashamed to admit I've never tested it!!
ReplyDeleteThis time of year is when I rotate/use/replenish my water supplies. And when I know a big one is coming, I fill up every jug in the house with water before the storm hits so we have spare. I figure we can get by without food, but water is critical, so I focus on that the most.
We have one of those cheap gas stoves too! They work a treat too and the butane gas cylinders are hella cheap. Love it.
DeleteWater is so essential - people do forget that. Must get a pallet of water bottles next grocery shop!
We are usually on cyclone alert sometime during summer. The yard is okay but I always have to stock up on canned food and long life milk! Good job you did on your yard Sarah!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It always makes you feel better to at least have a tin of beans and some UHT milk for a cuppa, doesn't it?
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