Understand the warnings
Emergencies can escalate quickly, so staying alert is important.
Warnings are issued by the emergency services when a hazard is active or predicted. These warnings may relate to bushfires, storms, floods, cyclones, tsunamis, extreme heat, or severe weather.
The advice will come in one of three levels: Advice, Watch and Act, and Emergency Warning.
Knowing what the warnings mean before an emergency can help you make faster, safer decisions.
Get Ready NSW: Know the warnings (30 secs)
When there are bushfires, floods or storms, Emergency Services issue simple warnings to help you make faster decisions.
Know the warning levels
The Australian Warning System has warning levels with corresponding colours of yellow, orange and red for a range of natural hazards. The warning level is determined by the level of threat posed to the community. The Australian Warning System applies to all hazards and all parts of Australia.
Advice (Yellow)
An incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Watch and Act (Orange)
There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.
Emergency Warning (Red)
This is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.
Warning level actions
Each warning level has a set of actions statements to give clear and concise information about what to do. Examples of action statements you might see with a warning include:
- Prepare now
- Stay informed
- Monitor conditions
- Avoid the area
- Return with caution
- Avoid smoke
- Threat is reduced
- Prepare to leave/evacuate
- Leave/evacuate now (if you are not prepared)
- Prepare to take shelter
- Move/stay indoors
- Stay near shelter
- Monitor conditions as they are changing
- Be aware of ember attack
- Move to higher ground (away from creeks/rivers/coast(
- Limit time outside (cyclones, heat, asthma)
- Avoid the area/avoid the flooded area
- Stay away from damaged buildings and other hazards
- Prepare for isolation
- Protect yourself against the impacts of extreme heat
- Do not enter floodwater
- Not safe to return
- Prepare your property (cyclone/storm)
- Leave/evacuate (immediately, by am/pm/hazard timing)
- Take shelter now
- Shelter indoors now
- Too late/dangerous to leave
Ways to stay informed
It's important to access emergency information to help you understand your level of risk and make a decision to act.
To help you stay informed:
- Download the Hazards Near Me app and set up a watch zone for your area and receive alerts.
- Visit the BOM website for weather advice and warnings.
- Visit the Live Traffic NSW website to check roads to plan a safe evacuation.
- Download the Emergency Plus app and use the 'what 3 words' feature to give your precise location for emergency services.
- Find your local radio station e.g. ABC radio. Use a battery-operated radio, as power or mobile networks may be affected.
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