Know the signs in an emergency (Australian Warning System)
The new Australian Warning System aims to provide consistent warnings to Australian communities, so people know what to do when they see a warning. Each warning provides point-in-time information about a hazard impacting or expected to impact communities. It describes the impact and expected consequences for communities and includes advice on what people should do. There are different hazard icons for cyclone, fire, flood, heat, or storm to help you quickly understand the nature of the risk.
Warning levels
There are three warning levels:
Advice (Yellow)
An incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Watch and Act (Orange)
There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.
Emergency Warning (Red)
An Emergency Warning is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.
Australian Warning System hazard icons
The Australian Warning System icons are consistent in shape and colour scheme. There are specific hazard icons for cyclone, fire, flood, heat, storm and other.
Source: Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, 2023.
For more information on the Australian Warning System, please visit: Australian Warning System
Council’s Disaster Dashboard provides up-to-date information and warnings relating to bushfires, weather events, road closures, flood mapping and power outages. On the Dashboard, sign up for council’s free ‘Opt-In Alerts’ service to receive text (SMS) and/or email notifications that will be sent during disaster events. Click on the ‘Opt-In Alerts’ button and follow the prompts to subscribe.
