What to Do After a Cyclone — Emergency Recovery Guide Australia

After a cyclone, the period immediately following the official all-clear is when your actions have the most impact on both your safety and your property outcome. Follow these steps in order.

1. Confirm the official all-clear. Monitor ABC Emergency Radio, the BOM app, and your state emergency services social media channels. Do not act on neighbour reports or social media speculation — only on official agency announcements.
2. Exterior safety check from the street. Before approaching your property, check for downed powerlines in the road or on your property. Do not touch or approach any downed powerline — treat all as live. Look for visible structural damage from the street before approaching.
3. Photograph everything before entering. Document all exterior damage from a safe distance. Roof damage, debris impacts, water ingress points, and fallen trees must be photographed before any cleanup or entry. Timestamped photos are your insurance evidence.
4. Check gas and electricity before entering. Smell for gas before opening doors — if you detect gas, do not enter and call your gas provider immediately. Check the switchboard for visible damage. If the switchboard is wet or charred, call an electrician before entering.
5. Call your insurer emergency line. Lodge your claim and obtain a reference number. Specify "cyclone damage" and separately note "water ingress" for ARPC pool properties. Ask for make-safe authorisation.
6. Lodge with NRPG for emergency dispatch. Submit your claim at disasterrecovery.com.au/claim to activate contractor dispatch. NRPG has contractors pre-staged in cyclone-prone regions for rapid post-clearance response.

With the safety checks complete and your claim lodged, the next 24 hours determine how much secondary damage occurs to your property.

• Emergency roof tarping and board-up. Cyclone-damaged rooflines allow significant water ingress during post-cyclone rainfall. Temporary tarping of exposed roof areas and boarding of breached windows and doors is the single most effective action to limit secondary water damage.
• Water extraction. Standing water from storm surge, rain ingress, and structural breaches must be extracted immediately. Commercial pumps and wet vacuums are required — household equipment is insufficient for significant water volumes.
• Category 3 water assessment. Storm surge and cyclone-driven floodwater is classified as Category 3 (black water) under IICRC S500:2025. This requires specific PPE, antimicrobial treatment, and often removal of porous materials including carpet, underlay, and insulation.
• Priority mould prevention. In tropical conditions, structural drying equipment (air movers and dehumidifiers) must be deployed within 24 hours to prevent mould establishment. This is particularly urgent in Cairns, Townsville, Darwin, and Broome where ambient temperatures accelerate mould growth.
• Temporary accommodation activation. For properties requiring extensive make-safe works, confirm temporary accommodation entitlements with your insurer. Most policies include accommodation provisions for uninhabitable properties. Keep all accommodation and meal receipts.

Cyclone insurance in parts of Australia operates differently from standard storm claims due to the ARPC Cyclone Pool. Understanding this affects how you lodge and manage your claim.

• ARPC pool geography. The ARPC Cyclone Pool applies to residential and eligible small commercial properties in Queensland north of the Tropic of Capricorn, all of the Northern Territory, and Western Australia north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Properties in these areas have cyclone cover underwritten through the federal ARPC scheme regardless of which private insurer holds the policy.
• Claim lodgement language matters. When lodging, specify "cyclone damage" as the primary peril. Also note "water ingress" as a secondary item. This ensures correct allocation to the ARPC pool. Claims lodged only as "storm damage" may be processed under a different claim pathway.
• BOM event reference number. Obtain the Bureau of Meteorology tropical cyclone event reference number from bom.gov.au. This is your formal evidence that a declared cyclone event occurred and is required by insurers for ARPC pool claims.
• 24-hour notification requirement. Most ARPC pool policies require notification within 24 hours of the all-clear. Do not delay — lodge your claim immediately after completing your safety checks.
• NRPG multi-peril scope. Cyclone events typically generate combined wind, rain, and water ingress damage. NRPG contractors are experienced in preparing multi-peril scopes that correctly attribute damage to each cause — critical for maximising ARPC pool entitlements.

Tropical Cyclone Maila made landfall in Far North Queensland in April 2026. If your property was affected, here is what you need to know about the NRPG response in this event.

• NRPG was pre-staged in the FNQ region ahead of TC Maila's landfall. Contractors were positioned in Cairns, Innisfail, Tully, and Townsville for immediate post-clearance deployment.
• Priority claim queue for TC Maila. Claims lodged through disasterrecovery.com.au/claim referencing TC Maila or the BOM cyclone event reference number are placed in the priority dispatch queue for the fastest possible contractor match.
• 60-minute post-clearance response target. For properties within 30km of pre-staged NRPG contractor positions, the target response time from official all-clear to contractor on-site is 60 minutes.
• Weeks 1–8 recovery timeline. Emergency make-safe and water extraction typically occur in week 1. Structural drying, mould assessment, and contents pack-out occur in weeks 1 to 3. Structural repair and rebuild scope approval typically completes by week 4. Rebuild commences in weeks 4 to 8 subject to insurer scope approval and materials availability.