How To Prepare Your Home And Kids For A Storm

Queensland’s storm season

Queensland’s storm season typically lasts November to April each year. When the storms do arrive, they are often unpredictable and can cause major damage to property, as well as serious injury and even loss of life.

In recent years we have seen a number of tropical cyclones pose a serious threat to Queensland communities, including the likes of Cyclone Yasi, Tropical Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Marcia, which saw thousands of people homeless and caused millions of dollars worth of damage to infrastructure.

Often the most significant impact caused from tropical cyclones is flooding, which can sweep through streets and low-lying areas faster than the storm front itself. It is this inundation of water that causes the most devastation to communities, often leaving residents homeless and in need of support.

That’s where Queenslanders shine, always willing to give their neighbour a helping hand in a crisis. You see volunteers come together to prepare homes, streets and businesses, building infrastructure and shovelling sand into bags to help sustain homes and prevent loss of life. Each year we see towns rebuilt and communities rallying together to see residents settled back into everyday life following a storm, brushing off the year’s events with fresh hope.

Queensland Storm History

Arguably Australia’s greatest flood event in the last 50 years occurred in January 1974, when tropical cyclone Wanda caused heavy rains across southeast Queensland, including history-making floods in Brisbane.

Another storm front Queenslanders have stamped in their history books was Cyclone Yasi, which crossed the northern Queensland coast in 2011 “” a massive 1,450km in diameter storm, with wind gusts up to 285km/h. Thousands of people were evacuated from Cairns after fears the city could take a direct hit, but Yasi changed path and instead flattened sugar cane and banana crops, trees and houses at Mission Beach, near Cardwell. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, it’s estimated Cyclone Yasi caused $3.6 billion worth of damage “” the most costly cyclone in Australia history.

Another tropical cyclone many Queenslanders remember well was Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry, which crossed the tropical north Queensland coast near Innisfail during the morning of 20 March, 2006. The tropical cyclone hit record wind gusts of 293.7km/h, damaging about 10,000 houses around Innisfail.

Then we have Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia, which made landfall at its peak strength near Shoalwater Bay in February, 2014. The cyclone spun through various areas including Yeppoon and Rockhampton, causing a damage bill of $750 million.

We hope this helps, for more information jump on to qld.gov.au/getready.