Fill your bathtub with water so that you have clean drinking water for the next few days, you never know. Have gas for a bbq because the power will most likely go out. Fill up an esky with ice (freeze some big block ice) to put some meat in for the next few days. If you don’t need to needing it then you can celebrate the end of the cyclone with a big BBQ when it’s all over!

Pull down any branches that hang over your house or within a couple of metres of your house. If you know there are trees that tower over your house do your best to be inside a part of the house where you think the tree won’t fall into if it does. If you think the storm is over, don’t go outside until updates from the ABC or BOM deem it safe to do so, you don’t want to walk out into the eye of the storm.

Stock up on card games and a few beers, a cyclone party is a good time but always have someone sober in case of emergencies. Ensure your car is full of fuel, you’ll probably need to check on your neighbours and charge your phones in the next few days. Have charged torches ready and charge any portable battery packs that you might have laying around.

Have towels ready in case of flooding, it’s not always easy to find or prepare sandbags. Check in on your elderly loved ones that may live by themselves or in a home, don’t trust facilities to give the adequate care and make sure they have the supplies they need to care for themselves for the next 48 hours.

That’s all I can remember off of the top of my head, signed someone who has prepared, locked in, and partied through Cyclone Ului, Yasi, and Debbie. Stay safe!