What to Do in an Emergency
Always listen to advice from emergency services You can find links on our key contacts page.
Phone 000 if someone's life is in danger Or call 112 from your mobile
For help in a flood or storm call NSW SES Phone 132 500
Know the warning and alert systems Read below for more information
Tune it to 97.3 ABC Illawarra radio See our channels, apps and more page for more ways to stay up to date
It's usually best to stay where you are unless you're told to leave or there's immediate danger
Think before you move Never try to drive, ride or walk through flood waters or bush fires.
Warning and alert systems
- Australia has an Emergency Alert telephone warning system. In an emergency, you may get a call or text from this system. You don’t need to sign up to get Emergency Alerts.
- The Australian Warning System has three warning levels: Advice (yellow), Watch and Act (orange) and Emergency Warning (red). Visit the NSW Government's Know the Warnings page to learn more.
- There is also a siren sound called the Standard Emergency Warning System that can be heard over radio or television before an urgent safety message.
Check our Emergency Channels, Apps and More page for links to other sources of information that might help you during an emergency.
Who manages emergencies?
Dealing with an emergency is a group effort, with multiple services working together.
One organisation will take charge. They are called the combat agency and are experts in dealing with whatever is causing the emergency. For example, in a bush fire the combat agency will be the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). In a flood, the combat agency will be the State Emergency Service (SES).
Other agencies, including Police, Council and others, will provide support to the combat agency and help manage things like evacuations, road closures and recovery.
Visit our Emergency Planning in Wollongong page to learn about local plans and Council's role in emergencies.
Children
It may not be safe to pick up your children from school or day care during an emergency.
Tune in to local radio and follow advice from emergency services before you collect your children.
Pets and animals
You should be ready to deal with your pets or animals in an emergency. Make sure they’re included in your emergency plans.
If you have to evacuate, take your pets if you can, but do not risk a person’s life to protect animals. Make sure you have a suitable carrier or pet box marked with your contact details.
The SES website also has a handy guide to managing pets and animals in an emergency.
Evacuation centres
If emergency services determine people need to be evacuated from their homes during a disaster, local evacuation centres may be set up.
The video below explains how evacuation centres work.
You can also watch the video with captions in these languages: