How to prepare for cyclones

By AAMI 03 March 2025

Tropical cyclones are intense, spiraling storm systems that threaten lives and property along Australia’s coasts. On average, we get about 11 of them per year.¹

Cyclones can be devastating, and it’s not always possible to avoid the financial and emotional havoc they can wreak. But preparing in advance can help lessen the impact on you and your family.

Review your insurance coverage

Before cyclone season begins, it’s a good idea to double-check you’re properly insured.

Repair and rebuild costs change all the time, so it’s important to make sure your sum insured – that’s the total amount you’re covered up to – is up to date. If you’re an AAMI customer, you can review your policies online or in the AAMI App.

It might also be worth taking some updated photos of your property, inside and out. These can help down the line if you need to make a claim.

Explore AAMI Home & Contents Insurance

Understand your risk level

Wondering when and where a tropical cyclone is most likely to hit? Australia’s cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April. Our most cyclone-prone area is the stretch of Western Australian coast between Broome and Exmouth, but the coasts of North Queensland and the Top End see a lot of cyclone activity too.

Your risk of damage may differ depending on where you live. If you’re right on the coast, be prepared for heavy swells, storm surges and dangerous winds. If you live slightly further inland, you’re more at risk of floods from heavy rainfall than people in coastal areas.

Keep updated with news and warnings

Australia is part of an international cyclone warning system, so you should get a heads up before one hits. Warnings range from Category 1 (the weakest) to Category 5 (the strongest), and can change quickly.

For timely updates, it’s worth keeping your local SES website in your bookmarks.

Protect yourself and your loved ones

In an emergency, the safety of you and your loved ones should be your top priority. Here’s what you could do that might help you stay safe.

Create an emergency plan

A way that could ensure everyone stays connected in an emergency is to create a household plan. Every household’s plan will be different, but it might include:

personal contact details for your household
emergency contact numbers
details for a safe meeting place, and routes to get there
your home’s electricity/gas/water supply location and how to turn it off, and
the location of your emergency/evacuation kits.

Keep your plan up to date and make sure everyone gets a copy - even if it’s simply a picture of it on their phone.

If you do lose contact with your loved ones in an emergency, consider using the Red Cross Register.Find.Reunite register. It’s a well-established service that’s helped thousands of Aussies reunite after separation during natural disasters.

Get an emergency kit ready

During a cyclone, you might lose power and other utilities like water and gas. Storm surges and flash floods may also cut you off from essential services like pharmacies and supermarkets.

An emergency kit can help you overcome those hurdles during a disaster.

Not sure where to start? Consider including:

first aid supplies
plenty of water (3-4 litres per person per day at a minimum)
non-perishable food (and a can opener)
any essential medicines and scripts
chargers, batteries and power banks
basic toiletries
important documents
a torch, and
a battery-powered radio.

Store your kit in a waterproof container and review it regularly. If you see any items with expired use-by dates, replace them as soon as you can. You don’t want to wait until you’re in the middle of an emergency to find out your torch batteries don’t work!

Don’t forget to plan for your pets

Just like us, our animals need emergency plans and kits.

If you have livestock, move them to a safe location away from dangerous winds.

Consider how your pets can travel with you if you need to evacuate, and include enough food, water and medication for them in your household’s emergency kit. Be sure to give them lots of affection too! Weather events like cyclones bring about a lot of noise and disruption, which can be extremely stressful for animals.

Protect your home

Keeping your home maintained is a great way to prevent extensive damage from cyclones. Here are some things you can do in and around your home.

Ask your local council if your home is built to cyclone standards.
Source some sandbags to protect against flooding - your local hardware store, garden centre and SES should be able to help.
Fit windows with shutters, plywood or metal screens to prevent glass from shattering.
Check your roof for any loose tiles, eaves or fittings.
Repair broken window seals.
Replace any rotting or termite-affected timber.

Your home’s outdoor areas can present a few hazards in a cyclone. Minimise your risk by trimming any overhanging branches, clearing your gutters and keeping your yard free of loose items and debris.

Protect and prepare your vehicles

If you’re staying in your home during a cyclone, try to move your vehicles under cover to avoid them being damaged.

If you can’t stay in your home for any reason, there are a few important things you can do to stay safe while travelling.

Prepare a car emergency kit

Just like your home emergency kit, keep some essentials in your car’s boot and glovebox that can help you get out of a tight spot. Many of the basics will be the same as your home kit, but there are a few other car essentials, like:

a tow rope for if you get stuck
a blanket and tarpaulin to keep warm and dry, and
a toolbox for small repairs.

Safety and car jargon can be extremely confusing. ABS, ESC, AEB – this jumble of acronyms may not mean much to you now, but learning about them could potentially reduce the severity of a crash. Some can even help prevent prangs from happening in the first place! While most new cars are built with these features already, they often aren’t available in many used cars, especially older ones.

Remember - never drive through a flooded area

It only takes 15cm of water to sweep a car away in a flood. That includes even the most well-fitted4WD.²

Flooded roads are extremely dangerous. In fact, in Queensland, driving into flood water is the number one cause of flood-related deaths.

Underwater conditions are often treacherous, especially during a cyclone when hidden debris might be floating about. And it’s not just loose debris that drivers need to worry about! In flood waters, your car’s electrics present a risk, not a convenience - it’s common for doors and windows to get stuck, leaving you unable to get out of your vehicle if you need to.

Making a claim after a cyclone

Firstly, before you return to your home or vehicles after a cyclone, make sure it’s safe to do so. The authorities will give you the go ahead when it is.

When you do return, assess your property for any damage and take plenty of photos.

If your property has been impacted by cyclone damage and you’re with AAMI, lodge a claim as soon as you can. You can lodge using our 24/7 online claims portal or via the AAMI App . Don’t worry if you don’t have all your documentation ready – you can always add it in later.

Make a claim

1 Bureau of Meteorology, ‘Tropical cyclone knowledge centre’

2 Queensland Government, ‘Get Ready Queensland: Driving in floodwater - facts vs fiction’

Insurance is issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 (AAI) trading as AAMI.
The information is intended to be of general nature only. Subject to any rights you may have under any law, we do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss or damage, including loss of business or profits or any other indirect loss, incurred as a result of reliance upon the information. Please make your own enquiries.