Emergency information

If you're concerned about a bushfire hazard on your property or an adjoining property, you need to contact the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). The NSW RFS  provides current information regarding:

• current major incident activity
• current Total Fire Bans
• advice on protecting your property and other fire related safety information
• building development

Keep up to date

In a bushfire emergency it's important you keep up to date.

• RFS Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW RFS website.
  
• For information about current bushfires visit the RFS Fires Near Me website or download the Fires Near Me app.
  
• Tune into ABC Newcastle 1233AM

Report it

• In an emergency call 000
• If you need to report an unattended fire contact call 000

• If your home or business has lost power, visit Ausgrid for updates. Contact 13 13 88 for emergencies or 13 13 65 for enquiries.

Be prepared

• Find out about the 10/50 Vegetation Clearing. This gives people living near the bush an additional way of being better prepared for bushfires.
• Find out how to plan and prepare yourself and your family at the NSW Rural Fire Service website.
• Know where the designated Neighbourhood Safer Places are located in the Cessnock local government area. These are a place of last resort during a bushfire emergency.

Hazard reduction 

The NSW RFS manage all hazard reduction activities. This is any activity that reduces or removes fuel before the onset of a bushfire. For more information about this visit NSW RFS website.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) is the lead combat agency for flood, storm and tsunami emergencies. In an emergency call 132 500.

The SES can also provide advice on:

• Planning and preparing for a flood
• Knowing your risk
• Effects of flooding on rural property owners

Stay up-to-date 

• Visit the SES Website
• Learn more about floods in your local area and develop your own flood plan on the SES FloodSafe website
• Visit Live Traffic NSW for information on road closures
• Tune into ABC Newcastle 1233AM for regular local updates

Report it

• If your home or business has lost power, visit Ausgrid for updates. Contact 131 388 for emergencies or 131 365 for enquiries.
• For dangerous trees on private land, call the SES on 132 500. If there is a threat to life call 000.

• Trees on public land that have fallen onto private property will be cut up and removed by Council as soon as practicable.

Council's role

Council may assist the SES in clearing up storm damage, fallen trees and other tasks. During an emergency please call the SES on 132 500.

If power lines are damaged or brought down by storm or other natural events, don't go near them or make any contact with the lines. Keep people and animals away. Call 000 and advise police, or the SES, immediately.

Report the issue to Ausgrid 13 13 88 for emergencies or 13 13 65 for enquiries.

If your home or business has lost television reception, visit the Australian Communications and Media Authority or call 1300 850 115 or email info@acma.gov.au.

Storms can cause sewers to block or overflow. Large storms may also cause damage to water supplies.

Report all emergency incidents to Hunter Water 1300 657 000 or visit Hunter Water.

Call your telecommunications provider to report any outage.

 During and immediately after significant floods and storms, please avoid non-essential journeys to affected areas.

To find information on road closures visit Live Traffic NSW for updates.

For local road closures please visit Council's road closures.

• For dangerous trees on private land, call the SES on 132 500.
• Report all other incidents to Council's Customer Service Centre on (02) 4993 4100.
• Trees on public land that have fallen onto private property will be cut up and removed by Council as soon as practicable

nbn is urging the community to prepare by taking four simple steps:

1. Stay mobile: Keep a charged mobile phone and portable mobile battery pack ready to use in a power outage, or if your nbn® connection is disrupted in an emergency event. Consider turning off cellular data on unnecessary apps to save battery.
2. Stay updated: Local radio is a good source of information during an emergency, so include a battery powered radio in your emergency communications kit. Also follow emergency services, including your state Fire and Rescue and Police Services, as well as utility companies and nbn (@NBN_Australia) on social media for updates.
3. Back up: To make sure you can access important information and essential documents from anywhere, including insurance policies and financial documents, consider creating a digital back up on a USB or in the cloud.
4. Be Prepared: Test residential evacuation and business continuity plans, including considering investing in alternative communication and power options to keep your business or community group operating – these need to be tried and tested regularly as part of your Business Continuity Plans.

• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet - English
• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet - Arabic
• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet – Pilipino - Filipino
• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet – Italiano - Italian
• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet – Simplified Chinese
• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet – Thai
• nbn Emergency Preparedness Factsheet – Vietnamese