The NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) will soon transition to an overhauled warning system under the new nation-wide Australian Warning System, to be introduced next month.
The Australian Warning System is a national three-tiered warning framework which will cover all emergency services organisations and all hazards.
Under the Australian Warning System there are three warning levels – Advice, Watch and Act and Emergency Warning. For each of these warning levels there are a number of clear action statements, which may include ‘Stay informed’; ‘Prepare to evacuate’; and ‘Move to higher ground’.
Warnings during storms, floods and tsunamis will continue to be distributed through the NSW SES website, NSW SES social media channels and local ABC radio stations.
NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York said the new approach to warnings will better support communities by providing them with greater clarity.
“Early warnings save lives. Our new warnings will contain very clear action statements to enable the community to make safe decisions,” Commissioner York said.
“If you live in a community that has received flood warnings in the past, it is important to learn how the NSW SES warnings are changing, and prepare for what action you will take when a future disaster strikes.”
The NSW SES’s new tiers of warning will provide greater consistency as all states and territories gradually transition to the Australian Warning System.
