By ANNA USHER

How prepared are you for disaster if ATMs stop working, the water supply is cut off, a tsunami hits or a bushfire breaks out?

These are the questions behind EmergencyRedi Week, an Australian Red Cross campaign backed by Mosman Council that encourages residents to plan ahead for an unfolding crisis.

Research reveals just 37% of parents feel ready to respond to an emergency – and just 27% have a “grab bag”, with most admitting they would struggle to find important documents and items if it was necessary to leave home quickly.

“Mosman is collaborating with fellow councils as a partner council in Resilient Sydney,” a Council spokesperson said. “Research shows that the more people prepare for a disaster, the faster they recover.”

By creating an emergency plan on the Australian Red Cross Get Prepared app, residents can prepare for a worst-case-scenario, connect with key support people and protect the things that matter most to you.

Households can set up three emergency contacts and save their plan as a PDF to share with loved ones at the Red Cross website.

What goes in the bag

The Red Cross survival kit checklist includes:

• Non perishable food and water.
• A torch and batteries.
• Device chargers and battery packs.
• A battery powered or wind-up radio.
• Medication and prescriptions.
• A first aid kit.
• Pet and baby essentials.
• Cash.

The Red Cross also recommends a separate recovery kit holding copies of passports, insurance documents and wills, plus access details for bank accounts and superannuation.

The Resilient Sydney toolkit says every family member, including children, should have their own bag packed and ready.

NBN warns its services may not work during extended power outages, and urges households to keep mobile phones charged, have power banks ready and check that medical alarms will still work when the power is out.

If phones and internet drop out, the toolkit says residents should use a battery powered transistor or hand-crank radio and tune into ABC Emergency Radio on 702 AM.

For anyone living in an apartment block, Fire and Rescue NSW says always use the fire stairs and never the lift, and to make sure all smoke alarms are working.

If a bushfire breaks out locally

For homes near bushland, the toolkit says to have a Bushfire Survival Plan and know when to leave.

It also says to trim trees, clear gutters and remove debris, and to check on the NSW Rural Fire Service website whether your home is in a Bushfire Prone Area.

Mosman Council says its bushland is largely Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest, and it prepares a hazard reduction burn program every year for the Mosman, North Sydney and Willoughby District Bushfire Management Committee.

Four apps are on the toolkit’s list: Hazards Near Me, Emergency Plus to share your precise location with emergency services, Live Traffic NSW and BOM Weather.