10 things you need to do to survive storm season Greenbank residents have been cleaning up after a wild storm lashed Logan THE first storms of the season have hit and already some Queenslanders are counting the cost, with residents in suburbs south of Brisbane mopping up after winds tore through on Sunday. And, with the fifth anniversary of the devastating Gap storm this weekend, it's a good time to make sure you're prepared for storm season. Here are our 10 top tips for getting through storm season relatively unscathed. 1 - Be weather aware Sounds obvious but too often people don't pay attention to the weather forecasts so they miss the warnings. The Bureau of Meteorology is now able to look ahead a full seven days thanks to improvements in technology and weather modelling. So pay attention to what they say each day by following weather reports on the BoM website, in The Courier-Mail newspaper and online at www.couriermail.com.au, and on television and radio. 2 - Fix things and clean up. Check your house for any repairs that need doing. Clean and clear the gutters, fix downpipes, cracked windows, weatherboarding, the roof and anything else that could come loose and let water in during a severe thunderstorm or cyclone. Check your garden for trees and branches that could be problem and cut them back now, and clear away anything that could be picked up by strong winds during a storm. Do it now because you might not be at home when a severe storm hits. Graham and Lynette Bigby lost their home in the Gap Storm in 2008. They vowed to rebuild, and did. 3 - Find a bolthole Find the safest place in your home to shelter should any severe thunderstorm turn nasty. Typically the bathroom or laundry, or somewhere central in the house away from windows in case they shatter, or under the house, a unit stairwell or fire escape. It's up to you to find that place in your home. Be careful of the garage as garage doors can break or buckle in a severe thunderstorm. 4 - Emergency kit Pack an emergency kit now with all the essentials you need. Torches, a battery operated radio and plenty of spare batteries, essential medications, first aid kit with plasters, bandages and antiseptic cream to treat any cuts and bruises straight away to avoid infection. Have enough canned food and bottled water for all to cover for three days. Know where the waterproof clothing is and some sturdy footware. Ropes and tarps could help if you need to cover any breakage in your home. When the storm has past, the pain of the clean-up begins. 5 - Emergency numbers Keep a list of emergency contacts, including the SES, power companies for outage information and emergency in case of downed powerlines. Have contact details for all members of the household, family and neighbours. If the power gets cut during a severe weather event then take care with mobile phone use as you won't be able to recharge the battery. Mobile phones may not work if the network is damaged, and landlines too could be affected. Essential numbers: Energex: 13 62 62 6 - Phone apps If you've got a smartphonethen install a few useful weather and emergency apps and bookmark any useful websites such as the BoM and The Courier-Mail's weather website m.weather.couriermail.com.au, the Early Warning Network's m.ewn.com.au, and the Queensland Government's getready.qld.gov.au. There are useful apps for Android and Apple from the Early Warning Network (ewn.com.au/mobile/iphone_android_apps.aspx) and WeatherZone (apps.weatherzone.com.au). Storms bring out photographers, but they can hit fast and hit hard, so be ready to have an escape route. Picture: Col's Retro Garage. 7 - Social media Social mediacan help you keep up to date with weather information and any warnings and alerts. The Queensland SES is on both Facebook facebook.com/QldSES and Twitter twitter.com/qldses, so too are Queensland police twitter.com/qpsmedia and fire twitter.com/qldfire. The Courier-Mail is there too at facebook.com/couriermail and twitter.com/couriermail. Build up your own list of Facebook people and pages to follow, and people on Twitter to follow. That way you know when and from where any severe weather is approaching. There are a number of storm chasers and weather watching groups on social media so get to know the ones in your area. The Brisbane Storm Chasers website bsch.au.com has a good list of links. 8 - Insurance up to date? Make sure your insurance is up-to-date and enough to cover your home and contents. Keep valuations up to date too. It's a good idea to take photographs of your home and possessions. Keep copies of any insurance document away from the home, maybe at work. Act now to save yourself grief this storm season. File picture: Adam Smith Source: News Limited 9 - Know your area Know your neighbourhood and how it's affected previously by any severe weather events. Which direction do the storms typically come from? Where does the water flow? Where are the rivers and creeks? Which potential escape routes tend to get blocked? This will help you when the next severe storm comes so you'll know if anything unusual is happening. 10 - Act now. This is the most important thing that could save you and your home when the next severe thunderstorm or cyclone hits. Just do something now, don't put it off. Get ready. Prepare for the worst now. Talk with your family and other household members so you have an idea what you would do is things go wrong. We live in a state that gets hit by some of the most severe weather events in the world, some of it predictable and some of it not so predictable. So don't get caught out.