CANBERRA, Sept 3, 2024 (BSS/XINHUA) - Australians have been told to prepare
for possible cyclones, storms, fires and flooding during the upcoming high-
risk weather season.

Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister on Tuesday said the
federal government is preparing for the worst-case disaster scenarios as the
nation heads into warmer months of the year.

She said Australians need to be thinking about a range of perils in the high-
risk weather season, which traditionally runs from October through April.

"Fire is one of them. But we are, of course, thinking about the cyclone
season and we're thinking about the risk of severe storms like some of the
rain and flooding that we've seen in recent days," McAllister told Australian
Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.

"All of the information in front of us tells us we can expect severe weather
to become more frequent and more intense in the coming years as a consequence
of a changing climate. And so we do need to start preparing ourselves for
that reality as a community."

Over 100,000 properties lost electricity as destructive winds and heavy
rainfall hit Australia's southeast in late August and early September.

Two people were killed by falling trees, one each in the states of New South
Wales and Victoria, and towns were evacuated in the island state of Tasmania
due to major flooding.

McAllister said on Tuesday that staff from the National Situation Room -- the
government's crisis management and coordination facility -- are currently
engaged in briefings with authorities from states and territories in advance
of the high-risk season.

The federal government will convene the second annual National Preparedness
Summit in Canberra on Sept. 18-19 where government, industry and non-
government organizations will be brought together to better prepare for
disaster scenarios.