Susanna Freymark
It’s always time to prepare for an emergency — SES members were at Thyme Resort in Evans Head to receive a donation and give advice on what should be in your personal evacuation kit.
Thyme Residents committee president Bob Cox said money raised at the May market organised by Denise Pardy and her team usually goes to a local group.
This year, the group decided to donate almost $2000 worth of goods to Woodburn SES.
There are 230 residents at Thyme in Evans Head and many were at the information session on Friday, August 22.
Instead of donating money, Denise asked Woodburn Unit Commander Ashley Slapp what was needed.
Surprisingly, he asked for vermin-proof containers to store lifejackets and special torches to help with rescues.
Mr Slapp said they had lost a lot of life jackets because rats chewed through the straps. The vermin-proof containers would save Woodburn SES a lot of money by protecting the lifejackets.
Mr Slapp and SES members talked about how each person could make their own emergency box. They gave out waterproof Grab n Go bags to use for documents, passports and cash.
“Within the next 150 years, there is the expectation that there will be a tsunami,” Mr Slapp said.
That’s why everyone needs an individual kit.
“Everyone’s kit is different,” Mr Slapp said.
An emergency kit could be used in all disasters including flood and bushfires or a pandemic.
“It would even be good for hospital visits,” he said.
The most important part of creating an emergency kit or box is the checklist so if you’re in a hurry during an emergency, you don’t have to think about it too much.
The emergency kit is organised into two parts – non-perishables and important documents.
The important documents part included identification, medication, vet contact, pet medication and prescriptions – things that are difficult to replace.
The other part is the evacuation box – consider this everything you’d need for the next 48 hours in an emergency, Mr Slapp said.
The evac kit could include these items:
first aid kit
wind-up torch
wind up radio or a small radio with batteries
water
hydralyte tablets
hand sanitiser
tins of tuna
muesli/protein bars
Panadol
pens/paper
reading glasses (if needed)
pet food/leashes/pet bed
underwear
toothbrush/toothpaste
wine/beer if that is part of your daily routine
map of local area (everything looks different during a flood)
baby formula (if needed or you have young granchildren)
toys for kids
longlife milk
fruit
chocolate
tissues
tins of peaches
beef jerky
sleeping gear
matches/lighter
To make your own evac/emergency kit, think about what you will need. Photos and memorabilia should go in a seperate waterproof container.
”So when disaster hits, you can be ready quickly,” Mr Slapp said.
”In 2022, it was hard to get medication and there was no power. ATMs are no good and shops can’t accept cards, have at least $100 cash.”
During the 2022 floods, Mr Slapp said there were about 600 people and 400 animals at Woodburn Public School which became a temporary evacuation centre.
In future emergencies, Woodburn School will be used only as a transfer station, not an evac centre, Mr Slapp said.
There was a lot of damage done to the school after the 2022 floods including carpets destroyed by animals that had to be replaced at a cost of $1.8million
Mr Slapp said evac centres had to be set up to take domestic animals.
Someone in the audience asked — “How do we communicate with the SES when the power and phones don’t work?”
”Connectivity is a big problem,” Mr Slapp said.
Some of the solutions were satellite phones, UHF radio networks set up by communities and using a payphone if you can find one.
The message was clear — in a disaster, be prepared to help yourself as much as possible.