Could you survive three days of isolation at home if roads, power and water were cut?
This will become a reality for Brisbane based comedian Stuart Fisher and NOVA radio personality Dave David as they bunk together for three days in a mock living room under torchlight, with no running water and just an emergency kit and basic food rations.
The duo will enter the home at 7:00am this Thursday 6 October until the State Emergency Service (SES) come to assist them on Saturday 8 October.
Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) Assistant Director-General Bruce Grady said EMQ and NRMA Insurance had teamed up in a unique way for this year’s storm season campaign through the ‘Can you survive for three day’s challenge.’
“This unique experiment, being conducted in Brisbane’s Reddacliff Place, will drive the disaster preparedness message home to all Queenslanders as they see first hand how important emergency preparation is in ensuring people can cope during the days of isolation that can follow a severe weather event,” Mr Grady said.
David and Stuart will be sharing their personal experiences in storm readiness over the three days through social media sites.
“Last summer, thousands of Queenslanders experienced first hand the effect disasters can have on their everyday lives and many found themselves ill prepared. Through this experiment the public are encouraged to share their experiences of coping without some of the things people take for granted as well as the actions they’ve taken to make sure they’re prepared following this year’s events,” Mr Grady said.
The Survival Challenge comes as NRMA Insurance research shows almost two thirds of Queensland households are still without an emergency kit.*
NRMA Insurance Community and Sustainability Manager Megan Lupton said that while many Queenslanders were aware of the need to be well prepared for disasters, a large gap existed between knowing what to do and putting it into action.
“Alarmingly, the majority of Queensland residents don’t have an emergency kit ready should the worst happen. Many of us know what we need to do to reduce the impacts of major weather events but the ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude often prevails over taking the right preparation and preventative measures,” Mrs Lupton said.
“All households should have an emergency kit, containing at a minimum, a torch and working batteries, a first aid kit, a portable radio and their important documents including insurance policies in a waterproof bag.”
Throughout the three days, SES volunteers will be on site to educate the public on household preparedness in conjunction with representatives from The Salvation Army Emergency Services, RSPCA, Bunnings Warehouse and the Red Cross.
NOVA will also be hosting a live outside broadcast on site from 6:00am until 9:00am on Thursday 6 October 2011.
All Queenslanders are invited to join the online conversation and get prepared for storm season.
To track what's happening in the house and to learn how you can prepare for the coming storm season, 'like' the QldSES Facebook page, 'follow' @qldses on Twitter or join the conversation using #survive3.
Queensland SES and NRMA Insurance have been working together since 2007 to increase storm preparedness education and encourage the community to take steps against damage and loss from severe weather events.
* Survey of 2,000 Queensland households carried out by Pure Profile Research for NRMA Insurance, August 2011.
For further information or to arrange an interivew please contact Department of Community Safety Media on (07) 3247 8186.
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