Get Emergency Ready with the Get Prepared App

Wednesday, 13 September 2023

It's crucial to be prepared before a disaster or emergency strikes and what better time than during Emergency Ready Week (Monday 18 September to Sunday 24 September).

That's why Penrith City Council is urging residents to plan ahead by downloading and completing an emergency plan on the Red Cross Get Prepared app.  

The Get Prepared app helps residents connect with key support people and accomplish simple tasks to make loved ones safer in the event of an emergency. It’s a great way to plan ahead to protect the things that matter most in a crisis.     

The app is free to download and easy to use, it’s a one-stop tool to help you prepare for any type of emergency where residents can:    

• Establish a quick and easy network of support with three key contacts    
• Review the risks relevant to where they live    
• Create checklists of actions to make an emergency plan    
• Save the emergency plan as a PDF so it can be printed and shared with others.    

  
Penrith Mayor, Tricia Hitchen, said that with emergencies becoming more frequent and with lasting impacts, it has never been more important for the community of Penrith to get prepared.   

“Penrith is in a unique position where we've endured extreme heat waves, bushfires, floods, storms and the COVID-19 pandemic. The more people prepare for a disaster, the better we can all manage during an emergency and in the recovery afterward,” Cr Hitchen said.   

“The Get Prepared app is the perfect way to get your household ready for an emergency and to put you in the best position to respond, adapt and recover should you need to.”   

“I encourage everyone to tell their family, friends and neighbours about the Get Prepared app so we can all prepare as a community, because a prepared community is a resilient community.”     

As a participating Council in the Resilient Sydney program, Penrith Council is collaborating with the Councils of Sydney to create a connected, inclusive and resilient region.      

Download the Get Prepared app, co-created by Australian Red Cross and general insurer IAG, to keep your emergency plan close to hand.     

To find out more, visit penrith.city/emergencyready

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 13 September 2023.