How to: Ensure your home is ready for bushfire and storm season

Spring has sprung which means the warmer weather is finally returning – bringing with it the bushfire and storm season. Over the past two years, damaging weather events saw nearly half a million insurance claims, totalling $7.54 billion, and with more wild weather forecasted, it pays to be prepared.

By starting now and following these four simple steps, you can safeguard your family and property in the case of an emergency.

Start in the yard

Storms bring a high chance of strong winds which can turn branches into projectiles, while in bushfires, leaf litter and debris become tinder.

To reduce the risk of damage to your home, trim trees and shrubs, clear out your gutters and keep your lawn short (long dry grass easily catches fire).

Prepare a ‘go box’

In the case of dangerous weather, you may need to leave the house at a moment’s notice. To ensure you’re prepared, gather all important documents in one, easily accessible, place. This way, if you need to leave home in an emergency, you can quickly grab your essentials.

No one wants to deal with the hassle of replacing birth certificates or title deeds!

Create an exit path

You never know when storms and bushfires will strike, so having a clear entry/exit path through your home and garage is vital. Do a general tidy-up, paying particular attention to clutter and heavy objects on the ground, especially near doors.

It’s equally important to know how to operate your garage door manual release, as power outages are common in weather events. Do a practice run so you know what to do if the situation arises.

To operate a Chamberlain manual release cord, simply:

Pull the red cord down firmly to manually release the door’s locking mechanism – the opener should make a clicking noise.
Push the door up manually. Do not try to pull the door using the manual release cord as it will snap under the load.
Take care when operating the door once the manual release is activated, as it may fall rapidly due to weak or broken springs.
When power returns or it is safe to do so, re-engage the opener by pulling the red release cord down firmly.
Use your apps

Apps can be incredibly useful in predicting catastrophic weather events and managing your response to them. We recommend downloading the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) app, available on all smart devices, for weather forecasts and warnings.

There are also a number of state-based fire alert apps which report and monitor on bushfires and can be filtered by location, as well as Fires Near Me Australia which tracks fires nationally.

If you’re away from home and need to close (or open) your garage door in an emergency, the myQ App is a very handy tool. myQ gives you control of your garage access from anywhere and shares real-time notifications when your door opens or closes.

Don’t be caught unaware when bushfire and storm season approaches. With these quick and easy tips, you can make sure your family and valuables are protected if disaster strikes.

For more information about Chamberlain’s range of garage door openers and accessories, visit our website or call 1800 665 438.