As many Mid Coast residents continue their recovery from the devastating Black Summers bushfires of 2019-20, authorities are leaving nothing to chance urging households to ensure they have a bushfire survival plan.
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For those who missed the Rural Fire Service (RFS) Get Ready weekend, it is not too late to start a bushfire survival plan.
MidCoast Council has devised a five week, step by step Get Ready campaign.
"The MidCoast was hit hard last summer by unprecedented fires which tore through almost 2371 kilometres - that's approximately 24 per cent of our entire local government area," mayor, David West said.
According to the RFS it is a myth there is nothing left to burn - we need to Get Ready now to protect lives and property this year, Cr West said.
"This year, we want every home on the Mid Coast to have a bushfire survival plan.
"It's important that you sit down with everyone who lives at your place, to make the plan - so everyone knows what you will do and when you will do it, before bushfires start."
MidCoast Council is providing weekly guides to help residents through the five simple steps, each week for the next five weeks, one step at a time.
At the end of five weeks, you'll have a bushfire survival plan for your family and home, plus you'll know what you need to do to "get ready" this bushfire season.
Every Mid Coast house will receive a hard copy Bushfire Survival Plan to complete by mid-October, in case the online options aren't for you.
The program starts this week with step 1 - know your risk.
To take Step 1, visit www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/getready. You can also sign up there for the weekly News Wrap email newsletter - it will arrive in your inbox from this Friday, and take you each week through the steps to make sure you have a bushfire survival plan.
Information including a short video and a summary document will see you assess your risk in as little as 10 minutes this week. You'll then be ready for Step 2 next week. If you're keen to go into more detail, you'll see options to spend more time learning about your property's individual risk level.
"Something that we all learnt last November is that no home anywhere on the Mid Coast is safe from bushfire," Mayor West said.
"That means we all need a bushfire survival plan, and we all need to help each other, to Get Ready. Make sure you, your family and your neighbours have a bushfire survival plan this year."
If you are still recovering from last year's bushfires, please visit www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/bushfirerecovery or call 7955 7777. If the videos, or reminders of the bushfires are causing issues for you, please call the Mental Healthline on 1800 011 511.
OUR BLACK NOVEMBER 2019 BUSHFIRE COVERAGE:
- November 8, 2019: Hillville fire out of control and heading east - photos
- November 10, 2019: Scenes of near disaster at Old Bar and Wallabi Point
- November 12, 2019: Taree eerie, edgy as NSW fires flare again
- November 12, 2019: Hillville man fights fire with makeshift tanker
- November 13: Evacuees wait as mid north NSW fires burn
- November 14, 2019: Old Bar horse owners relieved to have fire threat behind them
- November 14, 2019: Hillville fire most personal disaster yet for Vietnam vet
- November 14, 2019: Bobin school students saved by "gut feeling"
- November 18, 2019: Wingham and Valley Vets' generous help for burned animals
- November 19, 2019: Hot demand for cool ties for firefighters prompts SOS for fabric and sewers
- November 20, 2019: Koalas in Care rescuing koala bushfire victims
- November 24, 2019: Manning bushfire crisis through your eyes - photos
- November 25, 2019: Bushfires take heavy toll on Mid North Coast birdlife
- November 25, 2019: Everything's going to be alright - BlazeAid arrives
- November 27, 2019: In ruins - RFS confirms number of homes lost on Mid Coast
- November 27, 2019: Bobin firie saves his own home solo and from the inside out
