Preparing for Emergency
Council
The Victorian Emergency Management Act 1986 requires that each municipal council prepares and maintains a Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP). The Yarriambiack Shire Council’s MEMP includes strategies to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from emergencies which may occur within the municipality and impact on residents and infrastructure. This plan is administered by the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC) which comprises members from all emergency services, agencies and organisations.
Community
Yarriambiack Shire is at risk from a number of natural and man made emergencies. It is important that residents are aware of the risks they may be exposed to and develop their own personal emergency management plan. The links below will direct the residents to sites which can provide detailed information on specific emergency management plans.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” [Benjamin Franklin]
It is important that residents understand how to prepare for flooding. The following links provide essential information and tips for effective preparation:
The Wimmera Catchment Mangement Authority (CMA) has conducted a number of flood studies and prepared flood maps for flood affected townships in the municipality. They are all available on the Wimmera CMA website.
The Wimmera Emergency Management Team has developed some important resources to help you to prepare and plan for emergency events such as flood:
Wimmera 72 website
(PDF, 494KB)Emergency Preparedness Brochure - 72 Hours(PDF, 376KB)
Wimmera Emergency Management Team Awareness Brochure(PDF, 845KB)
The Wimmera 72 website has information and resources to help residents prepare for an emergency. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours.
A Flood Warning is being issued for Wimmera River catchment and areas within the flood zone will be potentially impacted in coming days.
The following items should be included in a basic emergency kit.
- Water – at least two litres of water per person per day (small bottles can be carried easily)
- Non-perishable food such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods
- Manual can opener
- Windup or battery-powered torch and radio (include extra batteries)
- Mobile phone and charger
- First aid kit
- Spare keys to your car and home
- Cash in smaller notes and coins
- Your emergency plan and contact information
- Prescription medication, disability aids, baby formula, food, water and pet/livestock medication (personalise to your needs)
- Copies of insurance policies, passports, bank details and passwords.
The website contains other information such as recommended additional items to have in an emergency kit. It also includes contact information and disaster resources.
Wimmera 72 is an initiative of the Wimmera Emergency Management Resource Sharing Partnership. This important partnership between Horsham Rural City and Hindmarsh, West Wimmera and Yarriambiack Shire Councils provides co-ordinated relief and recovery for all emergencies across the Wimmera.
To find out more visit https://wimmera72.com.au/.
There are a number of organisations and templates to help you develop your own emergency plan. It is not important which one you use but more important that you have one and keep it up to date:
Home Emergency Plan (VicSES)
Plan and Prepare for Fires (CFA)
Emergency REDiPlan (Red Cross)
Preparing pets for emergency (RSPCA)
Your Guide to Power Outages (DEDJTR)