Summer and fire season is not over: don’t wait for an emergency, save and bookmark the key contact details now.
Experts recommend always using more than one source for emergency information and warnings. This advice has been pertinent over the past week after communications infrastructure on Leanganook/Mount Alexander was damaged by fire and transmissions went offline. Power outages also reinforced the ongoing advice to pack a battery-operated radio when preparing to leave on fire danger days (also remember to pack a phone charger).
Radio
The official emergency broadcaster in this region is radio KLFM at 96.7 FM and 106.3 FM and ABC at 91.1FM and 107.9 FM. On the AM dial, try 594 AM or 774 AM. (Phoenix FM has been re-broadcasting ABC in the Bendigo region while the ABC towers have been affected by fire damage; it can be found at 106.7FM).
Television
The official state-wide emergency television broadcaster is Sky News, TV towers are expected to take some time to repair after last week’s fires. .
VicEmergency
VicEmergency is the centralised source for Victorians to find emergency information and warnings. It also provides information about getting prepared and recovery information after an emergency situation.
Emergency Hotline – 1800 226 226
Call the VicEmergency Hotline for information during and after major incidents in Victoria.
Phone App
If you have the VicEmergency App, you will receive alerts on your phone so that you will be warned if anything urgent is happening. You set the location and range (‘watch zone’) for notifications; the alerts are a key benefit of choosing to use it, and yes it is possible to create a watch zone without creating a profile. The App is free and available for Apple phone users at the App Store. For Android users, visit the Google Play store on your phone OR on the internet at play.google.com (you’ll need an internet connection and a Google Account, then find your new apps in your app drawer or on your home screen after installation). For help, visit: support.emergency.vic.gov.au.
Website: emergency.vic.gov.au
Some people are unable or reluctant to use an App so the same information is available on the VicEmergency website — but it will not send you alerts, so you will need to check regularly on high danger days. When you visit emergency.vic.gov.au, you will see a map that is updated in real time: use the + and – buttons at the top left to zoom in and out. Icons on the map indicate warnings such as ‘Watch and Act’ or ‘Leave Immediately’. There are two columns on the left of the screen- click Warnings or Incidents to find out more.
Facebook: Vic Emergency – Loddon Mallee
If you use Facebook, you should follow the official account of VicEmergency for our region. It features current information and advice. During the past week, it has also shown video updates from the Incident Controller and live-streams of Community Meetings. Follow the link to: www.facebook.com/VicEmergencyLoddonMallee.
Emergency Alert
Importantly, if you see +61 444 444 444 pop up on your phone, you should not block it because the number is linked to Emergency Alert, a national telephone warning system used by emergency services across the country to send voice messages to landlines and text messages to mobiles within a specific area to warn people about current emergencies.
