Cleaning up your gutters, fixing damage to your roof and securing anything loose on your balcony or in your backyard; these are things Canberrans can do to get ready for this storm season.
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Emergency services received over 350 calls last storm season and officials have said it's better to be safe than sorry by starting to prepare now.
Emergency services minister Mick Gentleman and ACTSES chief officer Georgeina Whelan officially launched Canberra's storm season on Thursday.
Mr Gentleman said the capital's storm seasons get "a little blowier every year".
ACTSES warned a high number of their jobs could have been avoided if people had been prepared.
Ms Whelan said emergency services were expecting strong winds throughout the storm season, which runs from September to March.
On top of that Ms Whelan said they would be preparing for a what could be a challenging bushfire season.
According to emergency services, over a quarter of all dwellings in the ACT are located in bushfire prone areas.
A map available online at actmapi.act.gov.au showed all of the capital's rural areas were bushfire prone with urban areas near forest or grasslands also at risk.
These areas included Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie, the suburb of Hall and the National Arboretum.
Ms Whelan said emergency services would also be talking with property developers to discuss safety.
She told Canberrans to be mindful of construction sites in bad weather, as well as being mindful of where they parked their car or even if they should leave their homes during bad weather.
"Better to be safe than sorry," Ms Whelan said.
She advised Canberrans to download the Fires Near Me app for their smartphones and to start preparing for storm season this weekend when the weather was good.
Emergency services recommend households follow these steps to reduce damage in a severe storm:
- Keep your yard tidy. Secure or store items that could blow around in strong winds.
- Clean your gutters, drain pipes and drains to prevent blockages, flooding and leaks.
- Trim trees and branches that could fall on your home or property.
- Fix any damage to your roof, including broken or missing tiles.
- Check your insurance policy is current and adequate.
