The NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSWRA) have coordinated 4 “must-have” apps to be as prepared as possible for what potential disasters will bring next.

A spokesperson for the NSWRA explains the significance of that development.

“Since 2019, NSW residents have endured more than 65 declared disasters, costing the government more than $6 billion, with more than 20,000 homes damaged in 2022 alone.”

One of the major aspects of the NSWRA is for the planning and coordination to mitigate, and risk-manage events. 

“The Get Ready NSW campaign was one of the 37 short to medium-term actions identified in the State Disaster Mitigation Plan.

“This supports the NSW Government’s commitment to making our communities safer, more resilient and better prepared to face the challenges of disasters caused by natural hazards such as floods, bush fires, storms and cyclones and coastal erosion and inundation.

“One of the key aims of the Get Ready NSW campaign is to prepare our communities for natural disasters such as storms, fires and floods.

“As part of that campaign, the RA is encouraging everyone to increase their preparedness for the next disaster by downloading four key apps which provide crucial information before, during and after events.”

These include:

• Hazards Near Me gives users visibility of what flood/storm/bushfire may be near them. Multiple watch zones with notifications can be set for your house, farm, work, family or other location that has significance. Notifications will automatically let you know if there is a threat by fire, flood, tsunami or severe weather.  

Note: It links with the NSW SES and NSW Rural Fire Service to provide a live stream of what is happening.

• BOM Weather gives users visibility of approaching weather conditions in real time.

Tip: It also has a “Warnings” page with all the latest information on weather events and their risk factors.

• Live Traffic NSW shows what roads may be impacted by a natural disaster.

Tip: This has become a very handy tool to understand road situations with the ability to view cameras that are updated every 60 seconds, follow incidents in real time and you can save trips taken often to check on road conditions easily.

• Emergency Plus is an easy way to call emergency services including the ability to share exact location.

Note: the what3words listed at the bottom of the My Location page are a simple way to communicate your precise location when speaking to first responders.

Tip: At the hamburger menu on the top left, by selecting “More Information”, a list of emergency contacts come up to help in a variety of scenarios.

These apps are available by searching directly, or they can be downloaded via this link on the Get Ready NSW website: www.nsw.gov.au/GetReadyNSW

It is worth spending some time investigating the Get Ready NSW website and learning about all the information and links available on it.

“It encourages people to understand their own risks, make emergency plans for households and businesses and provides practical steps to pack an emergency kit.

“While downloading apps and logging onto key websites like Get Ready NSW are a useful source of information, during disasters, people should listen to emergency broadcasters like the ABC and heed the advice of emergency service personnel and take their own personal precautions.”