Know the warnings to stay safe
Warnings let you know when you need to act during an emergency.
On this page, we explain the warnings levels for emergencies.
An emergency:
- is a dangerous situation
- is something we don’t expect to happen
- can put our health and safety at risk.
About warnings
Warnings tell people about emergencies that:
- are happening
- might happen.
These warnings come from emergency services.
For example, firefighters.
We use the Australia Warning System across Australia.
There are 3 warnings levels:
- Advice
- Watch and Act
- Emergency Warning
The 3 warnings levels will always:
- look the same
- mean the same thing.
Knowing what each warning level means can help you make better decisions.
Types of emergencies
Warnings give you information about different types of emergencies.
This includes:
- bushfires
- storms
- floods
- tsunamis – very big waves that can reach land and be very dangerous
- very hot weather
- other weather that will cause a lot of damage.
The warning levels
Each warning level tells you:
- the type of emergency
- how much danger there is
- what you should do.
1. Advice
An Advice warning means:
- an emergency has started
- you are not in danger yet
- you should stay up to date with what is happening.
Advice warnings are yellow.
2. Watch and Act
A Watch and Act warning means:
- an emergency is getting worse
- you might be at risk
- you need to start taking action.
Watch and Act warnings are orange.
3. Emergency Warning
An Emergency Warning means:
- you are in danger right now
- you must take action
- waiting puts your life at risk.
Emergency Warnings are red.
This is the highest warning.
You can find out more about the Australian Warning System on our website.
How to get information about emergency warnings
You can get information from emergency apps.
These apps can help you:
- find out what is happening
- get warnings.
You can download the Hazards Near Me app to get emergency warnings and advice.
The app will let you set up an area you want to get information about.
The Hazards Near Me app will tell you about:
- bushfires
- floods
- tsunamis
- weather that will cause a lot of damage.
You can also download the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) app.
The BOM app will share information about other types of emergencies.
You can download these apps onto your phone or other device.
You can find these apps on our website.
Or you can use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code.