ON Saturday October 8, the Cairns Regional Council will throw open the doors of its disaster management hub as an incentive to learn more about disaster preparation at the Disaster Coordination Centre Open Day.

With the start of the cyclone season just a few weeks away, Cairns Regional Council Cr Terry James, who chairs the Cairns Local Disaster Management Group, said the open day would provide insight into what happens during a disaster, along with information on how to be prepared at home.

At this stage, it is unknown what the forecast looks like for the coming months and a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Meteorology told Newsport that the official outlook will be released next week.

“Now is the best time for residents to be considering their own disaster plans – before the wet season starts and there is any talk of cyclones or flooding,” said Cr James.

The Douglas Shire, meanwhile, does not have a permanent Disaster Coordination Centre.

“During disaster and emergency events, the Local Disaster Management Group coordinates local response from the Douglas Shire Council Chambers which is set up to facilitate this only when the Douglas Local Disaster Management Group is activated,” said Mayor Julia Leu.

“The Cairns building is where the local response to disaster events is coordinated from, it is not somewhere that people will be evacuated to.

“Douglas Shire has one purpose-built Storm Surge Cyclone Shelter in Port Douglas and Council hosts cyclone preparation educational events in the Port Douglas Storm Surge Shelter every year,” she said.

Miss Leu said in 2014 Council held an open day with presentations from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and SES personnel and the Local Disaster Coordinator.

“In 2015 Council and QFES held a series of information sessions around the shire including one at the Port Douglas Storm Surge Shelter which was open to the public.

“Earlier this year, Council coordinated a mock emergency response exercise involving members of the public at the shelter,” said Leu.

At the Cairns open day, there will be plenty of information on how to prepare your home and your family and you can get advice directly from our disaster management team.

“We’ll have SES volunteers to give sandbagging demonstrations and a Queensland Fire Service crew to talk about fire prevention and management. They’ll have a truck with them and we all know how much kids love fire trucks.

“The day is a great starting point for families who aren’t sure where to start when it comes to being prepared for a natural disaster, or who would like to know more about what to expect if there was a disaster,” said Cr James.