Get Ready Queensland Week 2019 (October 13-19) is the perfect time to get thinking about how you can prepare for any surprises summer may have in store.

Council is urging all residents in Banana Shire to consider their 'WHAT-IF?' plan and get ready to respond if a disaster strikes.

It is incredibly important that we take steps to prepare.

The first step in being prepared is to have a Get Ready plan.

An emergency and evacuation plan will ensure everyone in your household knows exactly what to do if the worst happens.

You might want to involve your neighbours in developing your plan - neighbours who are elderly or have special needs may need your assistance.

Get Ready Queensland's online household emergency and evacuation plan takes about 10-15 minutes.

Start your plan now.

Pack an emergency kit and evacuation kit.

Natural disasters can cause major disruption to essential services like power, gas and water and access to supermarkets and pharmacies for crucial supplies.

Your emergency kit should include items such as - first aid kit, essential toiletries, important documents, water for three days, non-perishable food for three days, torch, battery operated radio, sturdy gloves.

There may also be times during an emergency kit you need to pack an evacuation kit - one for each member of the household.

The evacuation kit is a much smaller kit designed to contain only essential items for each household member that they can easily and quickly 'grab and go'.

Start pulling together your emergency supplies.

Make sure your home and contents insurance cover is enough to cover the cost of rebuilding your home and or replacing your contents or possesions.

Get Ready Queensland provides advice on asking the right questions.

Council's disaster management page has more get ready tips, including how to prepare your property.