The NSW State Emergency Service has today launched the inclusion of severe weather warnings as part of the free Hazards Near Me NSW App and Hazard Watch.
Developed in partnership with the Department of Customer Service, the update will ensure more communities across NSW will be prepared during weather events.
Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, said the expansion of the app’s hazards was timely given we’re now in the middle of storm season, which runs from September to March and typically sees an increase in storm activity.
‘Severe weather warnings and alerts are now available immediately on your phone or device. This is in addition to the warnings and alerts for fires, floods and tsunami that are already available on the platform,’ said Minister Dib.
‘We know February is typically the busiest month for the NSW SES, and in February 2023, the NSW SES responded to 9,288 calls to the State Operations Centre. More than 4,200 of those calls were for storm damage in communities across the state.
‘This is why it’s so important to have severe weather warnings included as part of the suite of warnings available on the Hazards Near Me NSW app, Hazard Watch and the NSW SES website.’
Public urged to download free app
NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York APM said it had been an incredibly busy summer for volunteers, and urged the public to download the Hazards Near Me NSW app.
‘NSW SES volunteers have already responded to more than 4,600 incidents across the state since Christmas Day. The majority of those were for severe weather,’ said Commissioner York.
‘Just last week North Western parts of NSW were experiencing severe weather, which resulted in storm warnings and minor flooding. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t yet downloaded the app to do so and be prepared for whatever hazard may impact your community.’
Department of Customer Service Executive Director of Government Technology Platforms, Reece Clementi said the app was a trusted source of information for the community to access warnings and advice during hazards
‘If you are one of the more than four million people who already have the Hazards Near Me NSW App, update your watch zone notifications to ensure you are receiving relevant warnings in real time for fires, floods, tsunami and now severe weather,’ said Mr Clementi.
The Hazards Near Me NSW App uses the nationally recognised Australian Warning System. There are three levels of warnings within this system including: Advice, Watch and Act and Emergency Warning. These same categories will now be used to keep communities safe and informed when severe weather is occurring nearby.
For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132 500. In life threatening situations, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
