Be prepared this wet season

With the Christmas period and start of the wet season almost here, police are wishing to send a few reminders to West Arnhem residents.
Wanting everyone to have a safe, happy and joyful Christmas period, Officer in Charge of Jabiru Police Station Robert de Vos wishes to remind everyone it is again the time for potential cyclones and general flooding across the top end.
“If you plan to drive out for Christmas please be mindful to drive safe, slow down and be mindful of unexpected water on parts of the Arnhem and Kakadu highways,” Rob said.
It is also important for everyone to prepare for potential cyclones across the region and ensure you have a cyclone kits ready, clean around the house and yard and have an emergency plan and a wet season plan in place.
The Northern Territory (NT) Government’s emergency information website SecureNT, has been also recently overhauled, with new social media alerts among the many improvements for the coming cyclone season.
Preparedness information available on securent.nt.gov.au includes: tips on flood safety, links to flood guides, what to put in an emergency kit and how to create a household emergency plan.
Police have also issued a few reminders for those who are going away over the Christmas period.
If you’re going away, prepare your house and yard before you leave:
- Lock your doors, windows and gates
- Don’t leave valuables in plain sight/in front of windows
- Arrange for someone who will be in the community to check on your home at different times each day/night
- Record descriptions, models and serial numbers and take photos of all your valuables to assist in easy identification should they be reported lost or stolen. (Jabiru Police have available UV marker pens at the front counter to assist owners to mark items of value, this will allow police to identify stolen items if recovered and return them to their rightful owners)
- Photograph jewellery and other collectables for easy identification
- Garden tools, equipment, hand tools and ladders should be locked away when not in use to prevent them being used to gain access to your home
- Don’t leave volatile substances in plain sight. Lock them away. This includes glue, paint, spray cans, mineral turps etc.
- Drain fuel from lawn mowers and other tools and lock them away
- If you see something or someone suspicious, please report it to the Police. If we aren’t working you will be transferred to Darwin who in turn should advise us. If we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything about it. (13 14 44 police assistance line)
If you are going away, please complete the attached ‘Absentee Owner Advice Form’ and return it to the Police Station. This will enable us to more efficiently target unoccupied homes and buildings and hopefully deter any would-be offenders.
More information is available by contacting the Northern Territory Emergency Services.
Police will also be out in force this year and they urge people not to drink and drive, ensure seatbelts are worn, infants and children secured in appropriate restraints and ensure timely rest breaks if driving long distances.