25 June 2025 | See disclaimer
There’s no denying that natural disasters are becoming more frequent, and more severe. But how do Aussies prepare their home, car, and contents in the lead-up to a dry or wet season?
Budget Direct surveyed 963 Australians over 18 years of age to find out the proactive natural disaster preparation habits used to keep us and our communities safe.
Quick Stats
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Nearly 62% of respondents said they had an emergency kit prepared for natural disasters.
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South Australians are the most prepared, with 30% surveyed preparing for natural disaster seasons 6 months in advance.
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Aussies are four times more likely to check on mum (20%) than dad (5%) during a wild storm, according to a groundbreaking new study.
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Respondents said clearing gutters and drains, no matter if the natural disaster is a flood, bushfire or storm, came out on top as one of the best ways to prepare (64%, 67% and 55%).
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Aussies who were surveyed also said the most valuable item in their emergency kit was their passport and identification details (30%), with insurance policy, cash, and a torch next in at 14% and 13%.
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Almost 90% of survey respondents use weather monitoring apps or websites such as the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to review weather warnings.
For a happy-go-lucky country, Aussies Are a Prepared Bunch
Do you prepare your home / car / contents for natural disasters?
Australia
It seems Aussies are indeed a prepared bunch — nearly 60% of survey respondents prepare their homes, cars, or contents for natural disasters.
A third of respondents ‘sometimes’ prepare.
Just over 10% of respondents do not prepare for natural disasters and a mere 1% of respondents ‘never’ prepare their home, car, or contents for natural disasters.
Do you have an emergency kit prepared?
Australia
An impressive 62% of survey respondents have an emergency kit prepared.
Age
Those surveyed aged 38-47 were the most prepared, with 70% of this age group surveyed having an emergency kit prepared.
Respondents aged 28-37 were next, with 66% of survey respondents having an emergency kit prepared.
Just over 44% of survey respondents aged 18-27 did not have an emergency kit, making them the least prepared age group in the survey.
South Australians Are The Most Prepared For Natural Disaster Seasons
How far in advance do you prepare your home / car / contents for natural disaster season?
Gender
| Male | Female | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months in advance | 19.4% | 18.2% | 18.8% |
| 3 months in advance | 23.6% | 18.7% | 21.2% |
| A month in advance | 29.4% | 26.0% | 27.8% |
| A week in advance | 18.8% | 24.9% | 21.7% |
| I do not prepare | 8.9% | 12.2% | 10.5% |
The survey reveals that most Australians are preparing for natural disaster seasons at least one month in advance, with almost 30% of respondents doing so.
Just over 20% of respondents either prepared 3 months in advance, or at least a week in advance.
More men surveyed prepared 6 months in advance (20%) compared to their female counterparts (18%).
Only 10% of respondents do not prepare for natural disasters.
State
| NSW | Vic | Qld | WA | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months in advance | 19.2% | 19.1% | 10.7% | 22.7% | 30.2% |
| 3 months in advance | 23.3% | 20.2% | 18.5% | 18.2% | 27.0% |
| A month in advance | 24.9% | 28.4% | 34.5% | 31.8% | 19.1% |
| A week in advance | 22.7% | 20.6% | 25.7% | 17.1% | 17.5% |
| I do not prepare | 9.8% | 11.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% | 6.4% |
Those in South Australia are the most prepared in the country, with 30% of respondents preparing for natural disaster seasons 6 months in advance, with Western Australia coming in next at 23%.
Victorian respondents were the least prepared out of the states with 12% surveyed stating they ‘do not prepare’ in advance for natural disaster seasons.
Preparing For a Flood
What are some of the top ways you prepare for a flood?*
Australia
Australian respondents have decided — the best way to prepare for a flood is to declutter drains and gutters, with 64% of those surveyed noting it was one of the top ways to prepare.
Moving belongings to higher ground (50%), and stocking water, fuel and canned food (50%) were the next top ways to prepare for a flood.
Sealing walls and sandbagging / blocking toilets and drains were the least favourite ways to prepare for a flood.
Preparing For a Bushfire
What are some of the top ways you prepare for a bushfire?*
Australia
| Male | Female | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean gutters | 69.2% | 65.7% | 67.5% |
| Remove flammable items like woodpiles, mulch, and outdoor furniture away from the home | 59.9% | 58.2% | 59.1% |
| Repair or replace damaged roof tiles | 33.3% | 24.4% | 29.0% |
| Seal gaps around doors and windows | 29.6% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| Enclose areas under the house | 22.0% | 17.3% | 19.7% |
| Mow the lawn | 61.1% | 61.7% | 61.4% |
| Tape windows | 19.8% | 16.9% | 18.4% |
| Practice fire drills | 22.4% | 27.0% | 24.6% |
| Fill bathtubs, sinks, pots with water | 28.2% | 28.9% | 28.6% |
| Bushfire kit with essentials, batteries, radio etc | 41.7% | 43.3% | 42.5% |
| Create an evacuation plan and create an emergency plan for you and your pets. | 40.9% | 51.6% | 46.1% |
Cleaning gutters was also the top way to prepare for a bushfire, with nearly 70% of those surveyed agreeing.
Mowing the lawn (61%), removing flammable items like woodpiles, mulch, and outdoor furniture away from the home (59%) and creating an evacuation plan (46%) were the next top ways respondents prepared for a bushfire.
Practising fire drills and filling up bathtubs, sinks, and pots with water came in at 25% and 29% respectively.
Preparing For a Storm
What are some of the top ways you prepare for a storm?*
Australia
| Male | Female | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean gutters | 57.7% | 52.0% | 54.9% |
| Trim tree branches and bushes | 60.5% | 57.4% | 59.0% |
| Secure loose items outside | 64.1% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
| Fix roof leakages | 44.2% | 41.8% | 43.0% |
| Disconnect electrical appliances | 33.9% | 39.2% | 36.5% |
| Don’t answer the phone | 15.9% | 21.8% | 18.8% |
| Don’t use the TV or computer | 26.0% | 32.1% | 29.0% |
| Move cars under cover and away from trees | 51.2% | 61.5% | 56.2% |
| Know where and how to turn off the mains supply for water, power, and gas | 37.9% | 44.1% | 40.9% |
| Install a lightning protection system or emergency backup power source | 19.0% | 19.1% | 19.0% |
| Fit windows and skylights with security mesh or durable insect screens | 14.7% | 13.7% | 14.2% |
| Secure pets | 35.5% | 48.8% | 42.0% |
| Tape windows | 17.7% | 16.3% | 17.0% |
| Storm kit with essentials, batteries, radio etc | 34.9% | 41.3% | 38.0% |
| Create an evacuation plan and create an emergency plan for you and your pets. | 30.2% | 40.7% | 35.3% |
To prepare for a storm, securing loose items outside took the cake for respondents as the top way to prepare (65%). Trimming tree branches and bushes came in next (59%), with moving cars under cover and away from trees (56%) and cleaning gutters close behind (55%).
More than 40% of respondents surveyed had securing pets and fixing roof leakages as some of the top ways to prepare for a storm.
Less than half of respondents are concerned about electric shock through electronic devices being a conductor of lightning with only 19% refraining from using a phone during a storm, 29% not using a TV or computer, and 37% disconnecting electrical appliances.
State
| NSW | Vic | Qld | WA | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean gutters | 54.9% | 55.0% | 57.8% | 60.2% | 49.2% |
| Trim tree branches and bushes | 56.8% | 55.0% | 64.1% | 64.8% | 55.6% |
| Secure loose items outside | 61.8% | 62.8% | 73.3% | 70.5% | 68.3% |
| Fix roof leakages | 47.3% | 41.1% | 33.0% | 55.7% | 46.0% |
| Disconnect electrical appliances | 35.0% | 29.5% | 40.8% | 40.9% | 42.9% |
| Don’t answer the phone | 21.8% | 16.3% | 18.9% | 17.1% | 14.3% |
| Don’t use the TV or computer | 32.2% | 24.0% | 33.5% | 22.7% | 20.6% |
| Move cars under cover and away from trees | 56.5% | 53.1% | 59.2% | 60.2% | 61.9% |
| Know where and how to turn off the mains supply for water, power, and gas | 36.9% | 43.4% | 38.4% | 52.3% | 46.0% |
| Install a lightning protection system or emergency backup power source | 16.4% | 19.0% | 15.1% | 25.0% | 23.8% |
| Fit windows and skylights with security mesh or durable insect screens | 14.8% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 23.9% | 9.5% |
| Secure pets | 40.4% | 43.0% | 38.4% | 44.3% | 58.7% |
| Tape windows | 17.7% | 15.5% | 15.5% | 21.6% | 17.5% |
| Storm kit with essentials, batteries, radio etc | 34.4% | 32.6% | 47.1% | 46.6% | 44.4% |
| Create an evacuation plan and create an emergency plan for you and your pets. | 37.2% | 36.8% | 29.6% | 34.1% | 46.0% |
South Australians were the least concerned with personal safety with only 14% saying they wouldn’t answer their phone during a storm and 21% saying they wouldn’t use a computer or TV.
Victorians were least likely to disconnect electrical appliances (30%), making their risk of adverse effects of power surges greater than respondents from other states.
Forget the Extra Batteries, Bring the Insurance Papers!
What is your most valuable item in your emergency kit?*
Gender
The respondents say to forget extra batteries, the insurance papers are more important!
Whilst 13% of survey respondents said that their insurance policy details are the most valuable item in their emergency kit, passport and identification details were the most valuable at 31%.
A torch (14%), cash (13%), and photos of loved ones (12%) were next on the list for respondents.
Women who were surveyed placed photos of loved ones as more valuable in their emergency kit than men (14% and 11% respectively).
Extra batteries came in as the least valuable at 4%.
BOM the Main Point of Reference
Do you use weather monitoring apps or websites such as the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to review weather warnings?
Australia
Almost 90% of survey respondents use weather monitoring apps or websites such as the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to review weather warnings.
How frequently do you check the weather monitoring apps during storm season?
Australia
But how frequently are Aussies checking the weather monitoring apps during storm season?
A whopping 55% of those surveyed said they checked weather monitoring apps daily during storm season, with almost 20% checking hourly.
Another 20% of survey respondents said they checked weekly during storm seasons.
Only 3% of respondents did not check weather monitoring apps at all during storm seasons.
Women surveyed were more likely to check the weather monitoring apps hourly at 20% compared to their male counterparts at 16%.
Age
| 18-27 | 28-37 | 38-47 | 48-57 | 58-67 | 68-77 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | 10.6% | 10.2% | 16.5% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 21.8% |
| Daily | 47.8% | 55.1% | 54.7% | 50.3% | 59.3% | 62.7% |
| Weekly | 27.3% | 24.1% | 22.9% | 19.9% | 14.5% | 8.2% |
| Monthly | 11.8% | 8.6% | 2.9% | 2.5% | 0.7% | 1.8% |
| Never | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.9% | 3.1% | 0.7% | 5.5% |
Almost 30% of those surveyed aged 18-27 checked weather monitoring apps weekly, the highest from any age group surveyed.
Where do you get your storm advice from?
Australia
Most survey respondents said they receive their storm advice from government websites (42%).
Just over a third of respondents surveyed said they get their storm advice from the media (newspaper, radio, TV).
Only 20% of respondents get their storm advice from social media (Facebook, X), and 6% from word of mouth.
Age
Respondents aged 28-37 surveyed get their storm advice from social media first (35%), with government websites next at 31%.
For respondents aged 18-27 surveyed, this was also the case, with social media at 31% and both government websites and the media at 28%.
Those aged 68-77 relied on government websites the most to get their storm advice than any other age group.
Aussies Check Up on Mum More Than Dad in a Storm
Who do you check up on first during storm season?
Gender
Who do you check up on first during storm season?
Nearly a third of respondents said they check up on their partner first, with children close behind at 26%.
The battle between mum and dad… who checks in on who first? It seems survey respondents are checking up on mum (20%) four times more than dad in a storm (5%)!
Pets trump dad for check-ins coming in next at 11%.
Male respondents were more likely to check up on workmates and the office . However, the survey firmly shows that family is the key priority during a storm.
Aussies Consider Themselves Prepared
How prepared would you rate yourself for this current natural disaster season?
Australia
Just over 40% of survey respondents rated themselves as 90-70% prepared for this current natural disaster season.
Nearly 10% rated themselves as 100% prepared.
Over a third (33%) of those surveyed said they were 60-50% prepared.
Only 5% of respondents rated themselves as ‘less than 10% prepared’ for this current natural disaster season.
Age
| 18-27 | 28-37 | 38-47 | 48-57 | 58-67 | 68-77 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% prepared | 5.6% | 11.2% | 4.1% | 13.7% | 6.9% | 10.9% |
| 90-70% prepared | 29.8% | 38.0% | 41.8% | 40.4% | 49.7% | 40.9% |
| 60-50% prepared | 36.0% | 34.2% | 39.4% | 27.3% | 29.0% | 33.6% |
| 40-20% prepared | 19.9% | 12.3% | 10.6% | 14.9% | 10.3% | 7.3% |
| Less than 10% prepared | 8.7% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 7.3% |
The 18-27 group surveyed were the least prepared, with 9% rating themselves as ‘less than 10% prepared’.
