Multi-Hazard Preparedness Checklist

Natural disasters rarely give much warning. A household that has prepared in advance — with supplies, a plan, and some basic skills — is far more likely to respond effectively than one facing the event unprepared. This checklist is designed to guide you through the key elements of multi-hazard preparedness, covering the scenarios most likely to affect your area and the core preparations that provide protection across many different hazard types.

Step 1: Know Your Hazards

Before preparing for everything, understand which hazards are realistic risks where you live. Preparing for your actual risk profile is more effective than generic preparation.

Research Your Local Hazards

1. Contact your local emergency management authority — they can tell you the primary hazards mapped for your area.
2. Check government hazard maps — flood zone maps, bushfire risk maps, tsunami inundation maps, earthquake fault maps.
3. Read your local council's emergency management plan — usually available online.
4. Talk to long-term residents — local knowledge about historical floods, fires, and other events is valuable.

Region Type	Likely Primary Hazards
Coastal (low-lying)	Flooding, storm surge, tsunami, cyclone
Inland tropical	Flooding, cyclone, extreme heat
Bushland/WUI	Wildfire, power outage
Alpine/mountainous	Landslide, snowstorm, flood
Earthquake zone	Earthquake, tsunami (if coastal), landslide
Urban, any region	Multiple — especially power outage, flooding

Step 2: Household Emergency Plan

⚠️ A plan that exists only in one person's head is not a plan — it is an assumption. Write it down, share it with all household members, and practise it.

Plan Checklist

• Know your local hazard zone designations (flood zone, fire zone, evacuation zone)
• Identify two evacuation routes from your home
• Drive or walk both routes and note any hazards (narrow roads, bridges, etc.)
• Designate a meeting point outside your home (e.g., the street corner) in case of house fire or immediate evacuation
• Designate a meeting point away from your area in case you cannot return home
• Identify an out-of-area contact person all household members can call/text to check in
• Know the locations of: nearest shelter, nearest hospital, nearest emergency services
• Complete a household emergency card with all key contacts and post it visibly

Communication Plan

• All household members know the out-of-area contact's number by heart or have it written
• Agree on a text-first protocol (texts succeed when calls fail in overloaded networks)
• Social media check-in plan: which platform, under what name
• Children know their home address, phone number, and emergency contact number

Step 3: Emergency Supplies

The standard recommendation is three days of supplies for most scenarios, and two weeks for extended events or isolation scenarios.

Water

Household Size	Minimum 3-Day Supply	2-Week Supply
1 person	9 litres (3L/day)	42 litres
2 people	18 litres	84 litres
4 people	36 litres	168 litres

• Stored water in sealed, food-grade containers
• Water purification method: tablets, filter, or boiling capability
• Knowledge of how to use your water heater tank as emergency water source

Food

• Minimum 3 days of non-perishable food per household member
• Manual can opener
• Food appropriate for any dietary requirements
• Food that requires no refrigeration or minimal preparation
• 2-week supply if in earthquake zone or other prolonged-outage risk area

First Aid

• First aid kit with: bandages, antiseptic, adhesive dressings, triangular bandages, pain relief, antihistamine, personal medications (minimum 7-day supply)
• First aid knowledge — at least one household member trained in basic first aid
• Prescription medication supply (consult your doctor about obtaining emergency supply)

Power and Communication

• Battery or hand-crank emergency radio
• Torch with spare batteries (or solar/hand-crank)
• Power bank for mobile phone (kept charged)
• Candles and matches/lighter (in waterproof container)
• Extra batteries in sizes used by your emergency equipment

Documentation

• Waterproof container with copies of: passports/ID, insurance policies, medical records, bank details, property documents
• USB drive with digital copies of critical documents
• Emergency cash in small denominations (ATMs and card payments fail in disasters)

Shelter and Warmth

• Emergency sleeping bag or thermal blankets per household member
• Warm clothing and rain gear stored accessibly
• Tent or emergency shelter (if in flood/evacuation-prone area)

Sanitation

• Toilet option if water is cut: portable camping toilet, heavy-duty bags, or a plan
• Hand sanitiser and soap
• Water for sanitation use (separate from drinking water supply)

Step 4: Go-Bag (72-Hour Kit)

A go-bag is a pre-packed bag that allows you to evacuate quickly with everything you need.

• Bag is packed and accessible (not buried in a cupboard)
• Everyone in the household knows where it is
• Water: minimum 2L per person
• Food: 3 days of portable, high-calorie food
• First aid kit
• Copies of critical documents (waterproof)
• Cash
• Phone charger and power bank
• Emergency blanket
• Torch and batteries
• Personal medications (with instructions)
• Change of clothes
• Sturdy footwear
• Items for infants, children, elderly, or pets as appropriate
• Bag reviewed and refreshed at least annually

Step 5: Property Preparedness

• Know how to shut off gas, water, and electricity to your home
• Smoke detectors installed and tested
• Carbon monoxide detector installed (if using gas heating)
• Fire extinguisher accessible and inspected annually
• Know whether your home is in a floodplain — if so, consider flood barriers
• Trees near house assessed for risk of falling in wind events
• Gutters clear before wet season

Step 6: Skills

Knowledge and skills are the most resilient form of preparedness — they cannot be washed away in a flood or burned in a fire.

• First aid training (at least one household member)
• CPR training
• Know how to purify water
• Know how to shut off utilities to your home
• Basic navigation skills (reading a map, compass use)
• Know your area's warning systems and what they mean

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Quick Reference

Category	Minimum Requirement
Water	3L/person/day; 3-day minimum stored
Food	3-day non-perishable supply
First aid	Kit + trained household member
Communication	Out-of-area contact; radio
Documents	Copies in waterproof container + digital backup
Go-bag	Packed, accessible, reviewed annually
Plan	Written, shared, practised by all household members
Property	Know utility shutoffs; smoke/CO detectors