March 2012 – Harden Up eNews

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March 2012

Summer of Storms Continues

Flash flooding and severe storms are catching Queenslanders by surprise! In addition to this, the recent IPCC report includes projections of more intense extreme weather. The need to be prepared is greater than ever, but where to start?

The good news is that preparing your home, family and community for natural disasters need not take over your life! You may have started a Harden Up plan but haven't finished, so let's get prepared together.

Each month, we will feature a different step for you to take. This month's action task is securing your outside furniture. Once you've completed our suggested monthly action, simply sign back into your plan, tick the action off your list and save.

Townsville "tornado" strikes without warning

Just when North Queensland residents thought they’d experienced it all, a horrific tornado-like storm took Townsville residents by complete surprise on 20 March. Despite being part of the warning system for cyclones, residents did not know what was happening until the storm was upon them.

Take action: Secure loose yard items

This weekend, take a few minutes to inspect your yard and consider how you could secure loose items. Remember that cyclone season is ending, but not yet over, and that severe storms are still lashing out across the state.

What damage could your backyard furniture cause to your home and family?

More haste, less speed

Speaking at the Green Cities 2012 conference recently, our CEO Mara Bun has highlighted the need for communities to step up and lead resilience-building initiatives. Read about this and keep up-to-date via Harden Up's News and Media page.

Drought... what drought?

Remember when Brisbane led the world in reduced water usage? Can you believe we've gone from drought to extreme wet in just a few years? Weather is cyclical, so we need to start thinking beyond the Big Wet to the next Big Dry!

During the year and we will be covering issues related to heat, drought and bushfire. In the meantime, check out our information page about droughts and heat wave.