What is in this guide
- Start with the official plan and a short working list
- Collect local information before filling the gaps yourself
- Confirm school and childcare handovers
- Make the contact list useful to someone else
- Record supplies you have and supplies you still need
- Confirm the pet arrangement with the destination
- Walk through an ordinary weekday, then the awkward one
A family storm plan in Queensland should put contacts, school arrangements, pet needs and preparation jobs in one shared record. Start with Get Ready Queensland’s household emergency plan, then name the person responsible for each arrangement and a backup for the days they are at work or away.
The useful result is a plan another adult can pick up without needing you to explain it. Keep the details specific to your household and use official local advice for decisions about weather hazards and evacuation.
Start with the official plan and a short working list
Get Ready Queensland offers an online household plan that can be saved as a PDF, printed and shared. A printable version is also available for households that prefer to fill it in together. Use that resource as the main record rather than trying to write an emergency procedure from scratch.
Alongside it, keep a short list of unfinished preparation jobs. Give each job an owner and a date to check back. For example, write “Sam to confirm the childcare contact details on Tuesday” rather than “check childcare”. The first version tells someone what completion looks like.
Keep this list with your family planning calendar, especially where changing work rosters affect who is available. Mark unconfirmed details clearly. A proposed contact or destination should not look like an agreed arrangement.
Collect local information before filling the gaps yourself
Queensland Government guidance recommends asking your council about local warnings and evacuation arrangements, and asking schools, childcare services and workplaces about their plans. It also points households to Bureau of Meteorology warnings.
Make a small information section with the council name, the official sources you will consult and the date you checked them. Save bookmarks on the devices adults actually use. Record the local ABC radio frequency in the official plan too, as Queensland Government recommends.
Choose one adult to maintain these details and another who knows where to find them. This is responsibility for keeping information accessible, not permission to interpret a warning for everyone else. Follow the instructions issued by the relevant authorities.
If the household has recently moved, do this section again. Get Ready Queensland specifically advises updating the plan after a move and reviewing it at least annually.
Confirm school and childcare handovers
Write down the questions you need each service to answer. Suggested questions include:
- How will the service communicate a closure or changed collection arrangement?
- Which adults are currently authorised to collect each child?
- What should families do if the usual collector cannot attend?
- Which contact number should parents use for updates?
Record the service’s actual response, including any forms that need updating. Do not assume that an arrangement discussed with another parent changes the school’s collection rules.
For separated households, make the record clear about which adult is responsible on which days. For shift workers, check both the normal roster and a day when the usual collector is unavailable. These are planning prompts to resolve with the people and services involved, rather than instructions to travel during severe weather.
Make the contact list useful to someone else
Use full names and describe each person’s role. “Nan” may be clear to a child but less useful to a neighbour helping with a phone call. Add a date beside each confirmed number.
The Queensland Government plan recommends household contacts outside the home, including one local and one interstate contact. Ask those people before listing them, and explain who may contact them. Keep personal details available to the people who need them without posting the full record in a public place.
For household jobs, a simple table can help:
| Arrangement | Main person | Backup or question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| School and childcare records | Name | Confirm authorised backup with service |
| Shared contact list | Name | Another adult checks their copy |
| Supply checks | Name | Record missing items and next check |
| Pet arrangements | Name | Confirm host and transport availability |
If there is only one adult at home, use the backup column for a trusted person or an unresolved support question. It is better to identify the gap than to assign several jobs to someone who has not agreed to help.
Record supplies you have and supplies you still need
The Queensland Government emergency-kit checklist includes food and water, a torch and batteries, a battery radio, hygiene supplies, important documents and items for babies and pets. It advises checking contents regularly and making sure household members know the kit’s location.
Turn the checklist into an inventory before buying anything. Note the storage location, missing items, expiry checks and who will follow up. If supplies occupy several cupboards, make the locations explicit rather than writing “kit in kitchen”.
Keep personal health requirements in the official plan and ask the relevant treating professional or support provider to help resolve them. This article does not set medicine quantities or plans for equipment that needs electricity.
Keep property maintenance on a separate job list. The storm season house checklist covers that preparation, while this record tracks who has arranged the work. Renters can use the guide to reporting rental repairs for the separate reporting process and check responsibilities with their tenancy authority.
Confirm the pet arrangement with the destination
Queensland Government advice says pets may not be able to accompany households to temporary evacuation shelters. Confirm arrangements with the council or proposed host instead of recording “take dog with us” as a complete plan.
The same guidance recommends keeping identification information, a current photo, veterinary details and relevant records with pet preparations. Use the Get Ready Queensland pet plan alongside the household plan.
Name the person responsible for checking these details. If a relative has offered accommodation, confirm which animals the offer includes and record anything still undecided. A tentative offer belongs on the follow-up list until the host has agreed.
Walk through an ordinary weekday, then the awkward one
Read the completed plan together using two situations: everyone is home, and the usual organising adult is away. Ask each person to find the contacts and show where the supplies are recorded. Check whether another adult can understand the notes without prompting.
Queensland Government recommends practising household emergency plans every few months. Use those reviews to catch changed phone numbers, new school arrangements, missing supplies and backups who are no longer available. Keep children involved in an age-appropriate way without assigning them adult responsibilities.
Finish today’s session by completing the contact section and confirming one backup arrangement. Put the next unresolved question in the calendar with a named owner.
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