The period from September through to March generally marks the season when residents of Sydney’s North Shore and the Northern Beaches need to be on high alert to the dangers posed by bushfire and storm threats.
New South Wales emergency services, including the SES and Fire Brigades, are already in a high state of readiness for what many believe will be a difficult summer period.
Keith Fitzgerald, NSW SES assistant commissioner recently stated that the SES were at their highest state of preparedness ever for the coming months. He emphasised that the community as a whole needed to understand the risks associated with the coming season.
Those risks are severe. According to the bureau of meteorology over ninety per cent of severe thunderstorms occur in the warmer months. When you combine this with the fact that the current El Niño weather pattern is predicted to bring warmer temperatures and lower rainfall, there is the added threat of a worse than usual fire season.
Usually potentially damaging wind and hail storms occur prior to Christmas, while the risk of heavy rain and resultant flash flooding will increase in the New Year.
Weather bureau statistics reveal that there is an average of one hundred and nine severe to extreme thunderstorm events spread across fifty days throughout NSW. The reality of being affected by a severe storm is that it is not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when?’.
Minimising The Risk
While nobody can prevent the forces of nature, you can take some basic precautions to minimise the risks associated with fire and storm activity. Much potential damage can be prevented by taking some basic steps around the home such as:
- Securing loose objects in the backyard so that they don’t become a missile during periods of intense weather activity.
- Ensuring that gutters, downpipes and drains are cleared of debris and leaves that will have fallen during the winter months.
- Trimming or removing dangerous overhanging branches that could fall on the house or other property.
Clearing gutters is one of those chores that is often only remembered when it is too late. Gutters filled with rotting or dry debris will prevent water from draining away during a deluge causing possible flooding of the house and thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to walls, carpets and furnishings.
Similarly, gutters filled with dry leaves provide fuel to flying embers during a bushfire. Even homes not in the direct path of the fire can be placed at risk by flying embers when gutters are full of dried leaves. So getting those gutters clean and free of debris and leaves is a vital task that needs to be done as soon as possible.
While keeping gutters unclogged is a precaution that will help prevent major damage to your home in an emergency, it also has other health benefits. Clogged gutters can result in leaks that result in damp ceilings, mould and mildew. Keeping your gutters free of debris will help maintain your roof and protect your family from the health risks posed by dampness and mildew.
Cleaning gutters can be a tricky and dangerous exercise, but we know that not everyone is comfortable getting up high to ensure that gutters are clean and risk free. The team at JEDI Plumbing are on hand to help North Sydney and Northern Beaches residents to get their gutters clean and safe.
Call us today on 0411 774 381 to book your guttering inspection and clean.