Let’s be heat smart

8 December 2023

Heatwaves or extreme heat events can have serious impacts on your health. You may decide to spend time in a cool place like a library, shopping centre, cinema, or other public building if your house does not have air-conditioning or can’t be cooled down in other ways.

It’s important to make a plan for before the heat hits:

• Where is your cool place?
• How will you care for pets?
• Does heat affect your medication?
• Do you have enough supplies?

For more information on how to plan for heatwaves visit: https://bit.ly/HeatSmart65

Stay informed!

Visit the Disaster and Emergency Dashboard for the latest emergency news, road status updates, active centres, fire incidents and links to useful information such as river heights, weather radar and more.

Go to https://disaster.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au

In Your Language

The ‘Prepared, Informed and Ready’ Your Hawkesbury Your Say page has resources available in Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional, as well as a link to the National Auslan Communications page with heatwave resources. Visit  www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/prepared and look for the In Your Language tab.

What to do during a heatwave

Extreme heat is dangerous and can affect anyone, even fit and healthy people.

Here are some tips to BE HEAT SMART during a heat wave.

At home

• Close doors, windows, and blinds early in the morning.
• Ensure pets have water and shade.
• Keep your mobile phone charged.
• Use fans and air-conditioning or visit a cool place.

For your health

• Cool down with wet towels or washers, a cool shower, wet the skin.
• Drink plenty of water (follow doctors advice).
• Avoid alcohol, coffee, tea and sweet drinks – they make dehydration worse.
• Wear light, loose clothing.
• Stay inside and move less.

On extreme heat days of 40-plus degrees, Council has a policy to extend the operating hours of Hawkesbury Central Library and Richmond Swimming Centre on weekends. On weekdays, these facility hours are already longer than weekends. To see any last minute changes to facility hours, see Council’s website www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au and Facebook www.facebook.com/hawkesburycitycouncil

For more information and resources visit Heat Smart Western Sydney

https://wsroc.com.au/heat-smart-western-sydney-community

Heat Smart is funded under the NSW Government’s Natural Disaster Resilience Program.