How we are helping Aussies prepare for disaster season

While we have a long history of responding to extreme weather events, the shifting nature of seasons means that they are becoming more frequent and unpredictable.

Our research* found that 66% of Aussies do not have an emergency plan in place if a natural disaster occurs while travelling.

We also found one third (or 32% which is the equivalent of 3.2 million Aussies) who find themselves in a regional area this summer feel unprepared for a natural disaster.

Younger generations (Gen Z / Millennials) are considerably more concerned about a natural disaster when travelling compared to older generations and also seem to take more direct action in getting prepared. For example, 43% of Gen Z / Millennials will write down their emergency contact numbers before travelling and 22% know where their nearest payphone is.

It’s no surprise they’re underprepared. Aussies spend on average 1.5 hours researching their domestic holiday before a trip while only spending 23 minutes on average developing an emergency disaster plan - with half of Aussies admitting to not spending any time on it at all.

With so much to think about at this time of year, it’s easy to see why a natural disaster isn’t top of the list but simple preparedness can go a long way. That’s why we’ve been preparing all year-round - undertaking thousands of site inspections, upgrading hundreds of payphones and pre-deploying recovery equipment to the most at-risk areas.

While we can’t predict what mother nature will throw at us we’re as ready as we can be and are calling on you to be just as prepared.

To help you prepare we’ve created some simple tips to help out:

Last year we committed to upgrading 1,000 payphones in disaster-prone areas  by mid-2025 to include free Wi-Fi, USB charging ports and backup power. At last count, we’ve now upgraded almost 800 of them. This includes 40 payphone upgrades in remote Indigenous communities.

Upgraded payphones can be a huge help in case the power goes out and you need to make a call, get online, or charge your phone so it’s important to know where your nearest payphone is.

A concerted recovery effort

When the unexpected happens and our network is affected, our people are often one of the first on the ground, when it’s safe to do so, to reconnect our customers and assist communities impacted as quickly as possible.

We call them the Telstra Response Team and they’re our crew of technicians sent out to repair critical equipment such as telephone exchanges, mobile towers, and cables.

We also set up our local customer service teams in affected areas to provide recharge services, loan devices, and emergency connectivity.

At the same time, our trained disaster assistance agents are available 24/7 to take calls and provide support. You can reach them on 1800 888 888. Together, these teams help recover and rebuild services to bring communities back online.

While we have been investing in our networks to make them more resilient, our network and infrastructure like electricity can be affected during a natural disaster so we have equipment on standby to help get people back online including generators and temporary mobile towers, known as Cells on Wheels.

This year, we’ve also expanded our use of portable satellite technology following a successful trial last year with 200 Starlink satellite kits stationed across the country.

Response during disasters

We know the need to stay in touch with loved ones is paramount and that’s why we’ve made it easier for customers affected by natural disasters to receive a little help through disaster assistance measures.

Last disaster season, we provided disaster support through extra data to customers in 122 locations across the country, with over 400,000 instances of support.

Again, this year, our customers on our monthly mobile plans will automatically receive 100GB of extra data on their service if they’re in an affected area. Our pre-paid customers are eligible for 70GB of extra data too. We also offer billing and payment support, advice on managing services if you need to relocate, and help resolving faults caused by disasters.

Natural disasters may be unpredictable, but we’ve been working hard to get as ready as we can be to help out where we can.

Head over to our disaster preparedness page to find out how you can get ready.

* This study was conducted online from 11th to 13th November 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 1,015 Australians aged 18 and over. Data was weighted by age, gender, and region to align with the latest ABS population estimates.