New flood warning system coming to roll out nationally
After a chorus of calls to re-vamp Australia’s emergency responses in flood disasters, a new national warning system is coming.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service will transition to the new system on September 30, after it’s unveiled next month.
The Australian Warning System is a national three-tiered warning framework which will cover all emergency services organisations and all hazards.
The new NSW SES tiers of warning for floods will be:
- Stay informed;
- Prepare to evacuate; and
- Move to higher ground.
Warnings during storms, floods and tsunamis will continue to be distributed through the NSW SES website, NSW SES social media channels and local ABC radio stations.
NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York said the new approach to warnings will better support communities by providing them with greater clarity.
“Early warnings save lives. Our new warnings will contain very clear action statements to enable the community to make safe decisions,” York said.
The NSW SES’s new tiers of warning will provide greater consistency as all states and territories gradually transition to the Australian Warning System.
This will help tourists and travellers prepare for potentially dangerous situations while interstate.
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It comes after the NSW government handed down its flood inquiry report earlier this week.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the state government would accept all of the 28 key recommendations put forward, including the implementation of a disaster prevention authority, in an effort to overhaul the previous disaster response.
