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As winter started to roll into spring one thought was on everybody's mind - another summer of bushfires. That thought came with shudders and much trepidation.
Here at Australian Community Media we put together a homepage for all things bushfires - what to pack to evacuate, how to prepare your house, what to know if you plan to stay. All the kinds of things you might need ahead of another hot summer - you can read them all here.
But, in the spirit of 2020, the rains have arrived instead. In NSW that has meant 78.5 per cent of the state is now "non-drought"; 10 per cent is recovering; but 11.4 per cent is still in drought or drought-affected according to the Department of Primary Industries latest drought map.
So while we are definitely still mindful of the threat of fires, we are now talking about the risks of flooding and, apparently, tsunamis.
Tomorrow, Thursday, November 5, is World Tsunami Awareness Day and the NSW State Emergency Service is reminding everybody - despite their rare occurrence in Australia, to be aware of the risks.
And well, it is 2020 so who can blame them.
So ahead of World Tsunami Awareness Day the NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York has reminded those living along the state's coast to be aware, even if the risk is low.
"There have been about 40 tsunamis recorded in NSW since 1805, so they can happen," Commissioner York said. "With more than one million people living along our state's coast, it is really important they not only know their risks but be prepared."
To help you get prepared the NSW SES has tools on its website to help you identify when a tsunami is coming and where to go in order to be safe. There's even an evacuation map.
Not in NSW? Victoria's SES also has a range of guides to help you out, as does South Australia's SES, Emergency WA has you sorted for how to prepare for a range of natural disasters, as does Queensland's SES website.
Tassie's SES has covered tsunamis as well and NT's Emergency Service has plenty of information about floods here.
So regardless of if it's fire or flood that's more likely in your neighbourhood this summer, it's best you are prepared - read and practice what you need to know before the chance to prepare passes you by.
In case you are interested in filtering all the latest down to just one late afternoon read, why not sign up for The Informer newsletter?
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