New checklist to help you prepare for extreme weather
A new extreme weather checklist is helping older Bayside residents prepare and stay safe during events such as heatwaves, floods, damaging winds, thunderstorms and other weather extremes.
Our changing climate is causing more intense and frequent extreme weather events. Communities worldwide, including Bayside, are already experiencing these effects. It’s important to ensure we are prepared.
Co-designed with volunteer older Bayside residents, the Prepare for Extreme Weather Events in Bayside Checklist is targeted toward older residents, but can be used by anyone as a helpful resource.
This tool asks a series of self-assessment questions to help you feel ready. It also includes a map of cool locations across Bayside where you can go if you cannot stay at home.
This tool can be completed by yourself or by someone who supports you, such as your carer, family, friend or neighbours.
Why older residents are at risk
We recently completed a project with South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (SECCA) with funding from Minderoo Foundation which identified older residents (65+) as one of the groups vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events.
Factors which increase vulnerabilityfor older people include living alone or being socially isolated, having chronic health conditions, limited computer literacy, low English proficiency, low income, and/or requiring a higher level of care.
Preparing to stay safe
It’s important to consider various scenarios when completing the checklist, such as if you have no phone, electricity, internet or if an identified support person is away.
Your plan should be reviewed every 6 months to keep up to date and in the lead up to an extreme weather event.
You can also use the checklist in conjunction with the RedCross RediPlan lite using it to store emergency information, important phone numbers, your medical plan, plan for pets and more.
Hard copies are available at the Bayside Corporate Centre and Bayside Libraries.
