If you live in an Australian city, there’s a good chance you may not know your neighbours beyond a passing “hello” when you bring in the bins. However, this lack of interaction could put you at a disadvantage during a severe weather event.1
The Australian Red Cross says that your connection to community is one of the most valuable tools you have in a disaster1 and Geoff Evans, Co-founder and former CEO of Disaster Relief Australia, agrees. The former firefighter and disaster response veteran has attended some of the country’s most devastating natural weather events, including Cyclone Debbie, which hit the Queensland coast in 2017, and the 2025 flood disaster in Taree, on the NSW Mid North Coast.
“In almost every weather disaster I’ve ever been to, neighbours have been the first responders,” says Geoff. “It’s always neighbours helping neighbours to get through it, and it makes you proud to be an Australian.
“We all do better if we work together. But that requires you to know your neighbours, to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and to plan in advance how you can all pull together in an extreme weather emergency.”
How community connection can help save lives
Some of the first things to go in any severe weather event, says Geoff, are power and communications.
“That makes neighbour-to-neighbour support even more crucial,” he stresses.
Case in point – the catastrophic 2022 Lismore floods, when the flood level reached 14.4 metres and thousands of properties were cut off from essential services and power.2
“There is no emergency response agency in Australia that could have coped with what was a biblical flood or that had the adequate resources to deal with it. The Lismore community had to largely help itself,” says Geoff.
Regional and rural communities, he notes, are by nature more likely to respond to disasters collectively.
“But, traditionally, people living in cities haven’t been as impacted by severe weather, and they tend to be more inclined to try to do things on their own. This can make them all the more vulnerable,” he says.
How to join forces with your neighbours against severe weather
With extreme weather events increasing in frequency and severity across Australia,3 now might be a good time to consider any gaps in your emergency preparedness strategy – including ways to get your neighbours on board.
Here’s a five-step action plan to help you defend against natural disasters with your neighbours or community.
1. Start the conversation
Beginning to prepare with your neighbours for an emergency weather event might be as simple as getting to know them. You might like to invite them around to talk about emergency planning.1 Or, if everyone feels safe doing so, you could consider starting a community chat group with the people who live in your street or building, where you can share relevant details, such as:
- Everyone’s contact details4
- Emergency services numbers and local disaster resources1
- Individual strengths relevant to an emergency event – for example, if anyone has any helpful medical, trade or technical skills5
- Personal circumstances, including whether you have young children or pets, or whether there are elderly people living alone in your building or in your street5
- Personal needs, such as disabilities or mobility concerns, that might impact someone’s ability to respond to an emergency.5
“While a WhatsApp group may help kickstart community connection, it’s also a good idea to write down and store important details somewhere safe,” advises Geoff.
“That way, you’re not relying on internet connection if the communications infrastructure goes down during a storm,” he explains.
And if your neighbours have been living in the area for longer than you, they might be able to share their own learnings from past severe weather emergencies.
“Asking your neighbours how your area has weathered past disasters is a great way to understand your local context and risk profile,” says Geoff. “And for many, anecdotal insights are easier to grasp than looking at a local council flood map or website.”
2. Learn about storm preparedness together
Another good tactic for improving your neighbourhood’s severe weather preparedness can be by undertaking group actions.
Getting storm-ready can be contagious, notes Dr David Henderson, Chief Engineer of the Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University.
“What really drives action is social momentum,” says David. “Our research has shown that if your neighbours are trimming tree branches, installing storm shutters, or talking about preparedness, you’re far more likely to do the same. You don’t want to be the only one who’s unprepared.”
Adds Geoff: “Many state emergency services (SES) and local councils offer free or low-cost workshops designed to help residents learn practical maintenance and preparation skills specific to their area – and you can sign up for them as a street or group.”
For example, NSW SES offers a multicultural emergency readiness session in the culturally diverse Sydney suburb of Camden, providing relevant emergency strategies and information to its residents.6
Meanwhile, the Australian Red Cross runs a program called RediCommunities which seeks to help communities at high risk of natural disasters to develop and implement their own disaster resilience action plans.7
3. Create a shared storm plan
Once you’re equipped with appropriate local knowledge, it’s important to create a severe weather emergency plan for your household8 – you can also create a shared neighbourhood plan. This might include:
- How you can work together to get each other’s properties prepared when severe weather is forecast5
- How to obtain essential resources, such as sandbags or plywood boards, for the neighbourhood5
- Who can tackle specific jobs or tasks, based on any relevant skills people may have5
- Who will share important information and updates5
- How you’ll maintain contact if you lose power and communications5
- How to help neighbours who may need assistance, including if you need to evacuate5
- Whether you can provide each other with a safe place to shelter if needed5
- Who would collect and look after pets if an emergency occurs while neighbours are away from home9
- Details on how, when and where you’ll evacuate to, based on knowledge gained through sharing each other’s household emergency plans1
- How you’ll work together to clean up after the storm has passed.5
How to make a storm plan for your street
We’ve created a template to help you and your neighbourhood plan together for a severe weather emergency.
Once complete, you can make a hard copy for everyone to keep – or scan it and share it on your community group chat or email.
Download your shared storm plan template today.
Download the template4. Share safety resources
As we saw during the Covid-19 pandemic, everyday items such as groceries can become hard to find during times of upheaval.10 And living in an apartment or a smaller city home may not leave much space for storing bulky items.
In such circumstances, one household’s supplies might be able to stretch to support another household, so consider sharing items such as:
- Pantry staples and non-perishables
- First-aid supplies
- Blankets
- Emergency kit items, such as your battery-powered radio or tools4
It may also be worth sharing storage spaces, such as garages, and places for sheltering.4
Well-organised neighbourhoods may even decide who’s best placed to bulk-buy and store emergency supplies such as bottled water, or make plans to share freezer space.
“You could also create a neighbourhood ‘equipment library’, so neighbours can access what they need during the clean-up phase without having to buy costly new tools,” suggests Geoff.
5. Stay connected during a weather emergency
The importance of checking in with your neighbours during a weather disaster becomes clear in Geoff’s account of a friend who was impacted by the NSW floods that devastated the town of Woodburn in 2020.11
“My friend was woken by his boat, which had been on the ground tied to the house, banging against his second floor window,” Geoff recalls “They were able to get in the boat but as they were leaving, they thought they’d better go via their neighbour and see if he was there.”
“When they arrived, they could hear him banging on the tin roof, trapped inside. So they tore the roof off and got him out into the boat. He could have drowned in that house if they hadn’t gone to check on him.”
Connected communities, such as Woodburn, are safer communities, echoes the Red Cross: “When emergency events strike, being prepared, knowing your neighbours and staying connected with your community can make all the difference.”1
Adds Geoff: “That kind of collective effort when communities are pulling together not only saves lives, but I’ve also seen it help people stay much calmer during a weather disaster.”
For more expert tips to help you get ready for severe weather, visit our you.prepared emergency content hub.
The content in this article has been prepared based on current government and emergency services guidelines and expert advice provided at the time of publishing. This information is subject to change. Please be sure to check for the latest information and always consider your personal circumstances regarding home safety preparedness and response.
Where you have increased your Youi insurance cover or reduced your excess within 72 hours (or other period noted on your policy schedule) of a flood, storm, hail or bushfire occurring, cover will be limited to the amount that was effective prior to the change. Loss, damage or legal liability caused by, resulting or arising from flood, storm, hail or bushfire during the first 72 hours (or other period noted on your policy schedule) of your policy first being purchased is excluded unless certain conditions are met. Refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for full T&Cs.
1 Source: Australian Red Cross – Stay Connected
2 Source: Lismore City Council – Lismore past floods history
3 Source: NSW Government – Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, September 2023
4 Source: NSW Government – Sharing information and resources
5 Source: Qld Government – Check your neighbours
6 Source: NSW State Emergency Service – Camden CARES – Emergency Readiness for Multicultural Communities
7 Source: Australian Red Cross – RediCommunities
8 Source: Qld State Emergency Service – Make your emergency plan
9 Source: NSW State Emergency Service – Animal safety
10 Source: ABC News – Supermarket shortages are different this time – here’s how to respond and avoid panic, January 2022
11 Source: ABC News – Satellite images show NSW floods transform Woodburn in Northern Rivers from sea of green to sea of mud, March 2022
