Household emergency plan
Updated 6 October 2026
A plan you made on a calm day is worth more than good intentions during a fire or flood. This guide takes about an hour. Write the answers down and keep a copy somewhere everyone can find it.
In an emergency, call 000. HazAlerts is an information page, not an emergency service. Follow the instructions of your state or territory emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology.
1. Know which hazards affect your address
- Flood: check your council's flood maps. Find out whether your street can be cut off even if your house stays dry.
- Bushfire: note whether your home sits next to bush, grass or a steep slope.
- Storm, cyclone and heat: think about trees near the house, loose items in the yard and how you would cope without power.
Your council website and your state emergency services are the best sources for local risk.
2. Decide when you will leave
Choose your triggers ahead of time. For example: "If the fire danger rating is Extreme or Catastrophic, we are not at home." Or: "If the creek reaches the bridge, we go." Leaving early is almost always safer than leaving late. See what each warning level asks of you.
3. Pick two places to go
- A destination within your area, such as a friend's house on higher ground or a neighbourhood meeting place.
- A destination outside your area in case roads close, in a different direction from the first.
Plan two routes to each. Check whether any route crosses a creek, causeway or single road through bush.
4. Write down your contacts
Phones run flat and numbers vanish. Write on paper:
- Each household member's mobile number.
- One contact who lives outside your area. Everyone calls or messages this person to say where they are.
- Your doctor, pharmacy, vet, school and workplace.
- Your insurer's claims number and your policy number.
- SES on 132 500 for storm and flood help, and police on 131 444 for non-urgent matters.
5. Plan for everyone in the house
- Children: make sure they know the plan and the meeting place. Tell the school or care centre where you will pick them up.
- Older people and people with a disability: work out how they will get out, who will help and what medicine, equipment and power supply they need.
- Pets and livestock: keep carriers, leads, food and records ready. Many evacuation centres do not take animals, so identify a pet-friendly place in advance.
6. Protect your important papers
Keep copies of identity documents, insurance policies, bank details, prescriptions and photos of your home's contents. Store copies in a waterproof folder you can grab, and also in a cloud account you can reach from any device.
7. Prepare the house
- Clear gutters, long grass and dry leaf litter near the house before fire season.
- Secure or store loose outdoor items before storm and cyclone season.
- Know where your power, gas and water shutoffs are, and how to turn them off.
- Test smoke alarms and change the batteries on a regular schedule.
8. Practise and review
Run through the plan with the whole household at least once a year, ideally before the local high-risk season. Update it when anything changes: a new baby, a new pet, a move, a new job. The Australian Red Cross publishes a free RediPlan workbook if you prefer a template.
Next: put together an emergency kit to match your plan.