Prepared, Informed and Ready

Call Triple Zero (000) immediately in life threatening situations

Translating and Interpreter Services call 13 14 50

For Mental Health Support 24/7 you can call: Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.

ARE YOU READY TO GO IN AN EMERGENCY?

GET PREPARED

Emergency Service organisations have put together a range of preparedness resources and factsheets, we have collated these under the Get Prepared Resources section on this page.

If you live in the Hawkesbury, or live near bushland, a river, creek or on a floodplain, sooner or later you may be impacted by a flood or bushfire. This page has numerous resources to help you understand your risk and to assist you and your Community in beginning to prepare for Natural Disasters and Emergencies.

You can find information and tools on this page to help you to understand your risks of being impacted by a

flood,
fire,
storm or
heatwave conditions

There are also resources to assist you to prepare for ANY EMERGENCY SITUATION such as Power Outages or Flooding from Overflowing Water or Sewer Pipes.

Please watch the video below and learn from the local Hawkesbury Emergency Services and Council Staff, what you can do to STAY PREPARED, INFORMED AND READY for Emergency events.

Disaster and Emergencies What are your Risks ?

FLOODING

People who live and work on the Hawkesbury Floodplain may be at risk from flooding. Flooding in the Hawkesbury Valley is different to other areas of NSW, as floodwaters can rise very quickly.

Residents in the Hawkesbury Valley are also at risk of isolation due to fast rising floodwaters. Floodwaters will prevent access and also closes roads, including the evacuation routes.

The major bridges at Windsor, North Richmond and Yarramundi will be flooded. Bridges and roads may be closed for several days or even more than a week, depending on the rainfall or flood event that has taken place. Roads and Bridges can be then still be closed for an extended period of time after floodwaters subside, due to damages caused to infrastructure and the time to carry out the necessary and repairs that are reopen and available to use.

Visit the SES website and Check the Flood Risk of your Work or Home Address. You will can also check the Evacuation Routes and the the river heights and flood levels that evacuation routes and other roads become impacted by floodwaters. This means you will know when to leave well before roads are cut off and avoid being isolated during the flood.

Flooding can also be a risk for people who

Live near a creek, stream, river, dam or any watercourse,
Live in a low‐lying area or a valley

But, it is important to remember that flooding, including fast Flash flooding, can also occur in any area due to :

Storms or heavy rainfall,
After several days of rainfall when the ground is saturated,
Damages, blockages or overflowing of the plumbing or sewerage in your home or street.
Burst water mains or water pipes or
Overflowing or flooded water drains

Flooding and other disasters may also indirectly affect your property. Your essential and communication services may be turned off to avoid damage by flooding or fire, or the flood or fire may damage infrastructure. This might be :

Electricity and Energy Network including water pumps and septic systems.
Mobile Phone Network
Home Telephone Network
NBN

A good way to STAY INFORMED is to have a battery powered portable radio and tuning to your local radio stations. Emergency Radio Broadcaster is ABC Radio Sydney 702 AM and Local Radio 89.9 FM.

BUSHFIRE:
You do not need to live nearby or next to the bush to be at risk from a bushfire. This could be a fire that starts in grassland or by the side of the road. You can check if your home or work address is Bushfire Prone Land by visiting the RFS Website.

STORMS:
Storms can happen anywhere, at any time of the year. You can check the current weather or forecasts. You can also check for storm warnings or severe weather warning by
visiting Bureau of Meteorology.

HEATWAVES:
Heatwaves and extreme heat events can have serious impacts on your health. To prepare early and plan for heatwaves, visit NSW Health - Heat and Heatwaves.

GRAB AND GO BAGS:

If you haven't received a bag and would like to access one, please visit either:

Council Administration Building - 366 George St Windsor 9am-4pm Mon-Fri
Hawkesbury Central Library - 300 George St Windsor 9am to 7pm Monday - Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday
2pm to 5pm Sunday
Richmond Branch Library - 29 West Market St Richmond 9.30am to 6pm Monday - Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday
Visitor Information Centre - 328 Hawkesbury Valley Way Richmond 9am to 4pm 7 Days
Hawkesbury Regional Museum - 8 Baker St Windsor 10am to 4pm - 6 Days Mondays and Wednesday through to Sunday
(Closed Tuesdays)

Or from one of the weekly Community Hubs between 9:30am and 1pm at:

Wilberforce School of Arts Hall, 531 Wilberforce Road - Wednesdays
Colo Heights Hall, 2996 Putty Rd - Thursdays
St Albans School of Arts Hall, 7 Upper Macdonald Road - Fridays

Each Bag contains a handy fact sheet and waterproof document wallet. Click on the images below to view both sides of the fact sheet and wallet and to download.

STAY INFORMED:

For live, up to date information during Disaster and Emergency Events visit the
Hawkesbury City Council - Disaster and Emergency Dashboard where you can access :

Emergency News,
Road and Bridge Closures and Status Updates,
Fire Danger Index and Fire Warnings
River heights
BOM Radar and weather information

In the event of a disaster, it is not guaranteed that you will have access to internet or phone service. A good way to STAY INFORMED is to have a battery powered portable radio and tuning to your local radio stations. Emergency Radio Broadcaster is ABC Radio Sydney 702 AM and Local Radio 89.9 FM.

Other ways to stay informed in your local area include:

Getting to know your neighbours,
Becoming connected to you local Community

Are your Pets, Animals and Livestock Ready to Go in an Emergency?

Emergencies such as floods or bushfires can happen quickly.
Planning how to take care of your animals before an emergency helps to keep everyone safe.

There are resources on this page to assist you to PREPARE and PLAN so your domestic pets, but also larger animals on Rural properties are READY TO GO as well, such as the SES guide below.

SES - Get Ready - Animals and Pets

NEED ASSISTANCE GETTING PREPARED?

Peppercorn Recovery Services
Person Centered Emergency Preparedness (PCEP) are available to assist the Hawkesbury to prepare for emergencies such as house fire, landslides, floods, power outages, bushfires, storms, pandemics and heatwaves. Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) guides the community and its people through conversation to prepare for emergencies. You are supported to self-assess risk, your preparedness and support needs in emergency situations. Together the team will develop formal emergency preparedness plans tailored to individual capabilities and needs with the aim to optimise your self-reliance and forward plan your reliance on others.

For more information about PCEP or to book an appointment please visit www.peppercorn.org.au/person-centred-emergency-preparedness/ call 4587 0222 or email pcep@peppercorn.org.au

RECOVERY SUPPORT FROM THE 2021 AND 2022 FLOOD EVENTS IS STILL AVAILABLE

Support is still available for the Hawkesbury Community to help with your recovery from both the 2021 and 2022 floods.

For the current information on Flood Recovery and Supports click here(External link)

Mental Health supports are all here

Food Support and other Community Services are all here

COMMUNITY DEFIBRILLATORS IN THE HAWKESBURY

There are also Accessible Community Defibrillators across the Hawkesbury. Please make yourself familiar with those in your area. You can find some locations here- https://communitydefibproject.org.au/find-an-aed for the Community Defib Project and others in more of the Hawkesbury and across NSW here NSW AED Register

Disaster and Emergency Dashboard