Emergency accommodation after bushfires: What are your options?

Learn about who to contact, evacuation centres, temporary accommodation and more.

As devastating bushfire activity continues to rage across our nation, more and more Australians are being forced to evacuate their homes. But once packed up, what should you do and where should you go?

If you, or someone you know, has been affected or displaced by the fires, this guide can help you contact the right people and locate suitable and safe accommodation.

Who to contact in case of emergency

First and foremost, for all life-threatening emergencies, contact 000 immediately.

Otherwise, if your situation is not life-threatening, you should heed the instructions of your local authorities.

Each state and territory has a bushfire information service to help you keep across the latest information.

You can reach them using the following links:

• New South Wales: www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
• Australian Capital Territory: www.esa.act.gov.au
• Victoria: www.cfa.vic.gov.au
• Queensland: www.qfes.qld.gov.au
• South Australia: www.cfs.sa.gov.au
• Tasmania: www.fire.tas.gov.au
• Western Australia: www.dfes.wa.gov.au
• Northern Territory: www.pfes.nt.gov.au

Depending on the area's bushfire risk, you may be advised to evacuate or prepare to evacuate, in which case, you should be aware of where your nearest evacuation or relief centre is.

Even if you haven't been told to evacuate yet, you can start preparations now by following our Bushfire Survival Guide.

Once safe, it's important to contact your home insurer to alert them of your situation. They can then walk you through your next steps, which can include temporary accommodation if it's covered by your policy and if your home is unsafe to return to.

Even if you've relocated to an evacuation centre, you may still be entitled to private emergency accommodation. You may also be entitled to claim accommodation costs while your home is being repaired.

Evacuation centres

Across the nation, emergency evacuation centres have been set up in hotspots of bushfire activity.

If you've been issued an evacuation warning and are seeking safe haven from the fires, here's a breakdown of the centres and refuges in your state.

• NSW evacuation centres

  Area	Address	Opening hours
  Wingecarribee LGA	Mittagong RSL cnr Hume Hwy & Bessemer Street Mittagong NSW 2575	8am-10pm
  Eurobodalla LGA	Hanging Rock Sports Club Function Centre, Hanging Rock Place, Batemans Bay NSW 2536	8am-8pm
  Eurobodalla LGA	Moruya Basketball Stadium (within Moruya Showground), Albert Street, Moruya NSW 2537
  Eurobodalla LGA	Narooma Leisure Centre, 100 Bluewater Drive, Narooma NSW 2546
  Bega Valley Shire LGA	Bega Showground, High Street, Bega NSW 2550
  Bega Valley Shire LGA	Merimbula Club Sapphire, 119 Main St, Merimbula NSW 2548
  Bega Valley Shire LGA	Merimbula RSL Club, 52-54 Main St Merimbula NSW 2548
  Bega Valley Shire LGA	Bega Valley Commemorative Community Centres Zingal Pl Bega NSW 2550
  Bega Valley Shire LGA	Tura Beach Golf Club, 5 The Fairway Tura Beach NSW 2548
  City of Shoalhaven LGA	Ulladulla Civic Centre – 81B Princes Highway, Ulladulla NSW 2539	7am-7pm
  City of Shoalhaven LGA	Bomaderry Bowling Club - 154 Meroo Street, Bomaderry NSW 2541	7am-7pm
  City of Shoalhaven LGA	St Georges Basin Country Club - 11 Paradise Beach Road Sanctuary Point, NSW 2540	7am-7pm
  Goulburn – Mulwaree LGA	Goulburn Recreation Area - Veolia Arena 45 Braidwood Road, Goulburn NSW 2580	8am-8pm
  Snowy Monaro LGA	Bombala Community Centre – 163 Maybe Street, Bombala 2632
  Snowy Monaro LGA	Cooma Multi-function Centre, Cnr of Cromwell St and Boundary St Cooma, NSW 2630
  City of Wagga Wagga LGA	Wagga Wagga Equex Centre, Cnr Copeland St and Kooringal Rd, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650
  City of Albury LGA	Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, 229 North St, East Albury NSW 2640
  Snowy Valleys LGA	McAuley Catholic Central School, 33-39 Capper Street Tumut NSW 2720

• Victoria evacuation centres and community refuges

  Area/Fire	Address
  East Warburton	Millwarra Primary School East Warburton Campus (Library and Learning Centre)
  Ferny Creek	Ferny Creek Primary School (Library and Learning Centre)
  Millgrove	Wesburn-Millgrove Country Fire Authority (CFA) Fire Station
  Blackwood	Blackwood Country Fire Authority (CFA) Fire Station
  Lavers Hill	Otway Country Fire Authority (CFA) Fire Station
  East Gippsland fires	Bairnsdale Football Pavilion - Dalmahoy Street, Bairnsdale
  East Gippsland fires	Bairnsdale Racecourse - Forge Creek Road, Bairnsdale
  East Gippsland fires	Kernot Hall, 50-70 Princes Drive, Morwell
  East Gippsland fires	Sale Baptist Church, cnr Princes Hwy and Cobains Rd, Sale
  North East fires	Performing Arts Centre Wangaratta – Ford Street
  North East fires	Tallangatta Memorial Hall, Towong St
  North East fires	"The Cube" building, Wodonga
  North East fires	Corryong High School, 27-45 Towong Rd, Corryong

  If you're unable to safely evacuate to one of the above emergency centres or refuges, Victorians are encouraged to shelter in a Neighbourhood Safe Place or a Bushfire Place of Last Resort. These are generally open fields, foreshores or community halls. You can locate your closest safe place here.

• Queensland evacuation centres

  At present, Queensland hasn't set up any official evacuation centres. However, if you have found yourself in the line of threat and your home is no longer a safe place for shelter, the Queensland government has established Neighbourhood Safer Spaces as a last resort. A full list of NSPs in Queensland can be found here.

• South Australia bushfire relief centres

  Area/Fire	Address	Opening hours
  Cudlee Creek fire	Mt Barker High School, Wellington Road, Mount Barker (open until 8 January 2020)	7am-7pm
  Cudlee Creek fire	Fabrik Arts and Heritage in the Old Woollen Mill, 1 Lobethal Road, Lobethal	7am-7pm
  Kangaroo Island fires	Kingscote Football Club, Centenary Avenue, Kingscote
  Keilira fire	No centre, contact 1800 302 787 for relief and support
  Yorketown fire	SYP Community Hub, 33 Stansbury Road, Yorketown	9am-2pm weekdays, 9am-midday weekends

  Where a relief centre has not been set up yet, South Australians who've made the decision to evacuate early can head to a bushfire safer place, which is a low-risk area. You can search for your closest bushfire safer place here.

• ACT evacuation centres

  At present, there is no immediate need for evacuation centres in Canberra. If this changes, you'll be informed via the ESA website about their locations.

  Despite this, temporary accommodation was set-up at Queanbeyan Showgrounds and the Hall Showgrounds for people transiting through Canberra up until 12pm on 6 January 2020. At present, the Showgrounds is only available as emergency accommodation for people evacuating horses out of NSW.

• Northern Territory evacuation centres

  The Northern Territory is yet to open up emergency shelters for those escaping the bushfires.

  Those in risk areas can prepare early by getting abreast of your local shelter here.

• Western Australia evacuation centres

  Western Australian hasn't set up evacuation centres as yet, but if you've found yourself out of home, you may be able to tap into crisis accommodation. To determine what options are available to you, either contact the Crisis Care Helpline on (08) 9223 1111 or Entrypoint Perth on (08) 6496 0001.

• Tasmania evacuation centres

  As there is no immediate need for evacuation centres in Tasmania, the best thing you can do is stay alert and keep an eye on the Tasmania Fire Service website. This site reports on the status of fires across the state and determines an alert level for residents. It also provides information on next steps to keep you safe, including details of evacuation centres when open.

  If you've been forced to evacuate with nowhere to go, you can contact Housing Connect, which offers emergency accommodation, on 1800 800 588.

If you're no longer in a life-threatening situation but need assistance, the Salvation Army is dedicated to providing emergency and disaster relief. It offers housing and meals as well as financial and emotional support.

You can contact The Salvation Army on 1300 662 217 or via email at sal.disasters@salvationarmy.org.au.

Temporary accommodation

During times of crisis, Australians open their hearts and, in this case, homes to those in need.

Thousands of locals and companies have pulled out their support for those left homeless by the bushfires by offering up spare beds, rooms and homes. Here are some of your options if you're unable to return home immediately.

Airbnb

Airbnb's Open Homes initiative was established in 2012 with the aim to provide free shelter to those in times of crisis.

During our time of crisis, Aussies have jumped on the platform to offer free space to those affected by the bushfires in NSW and Victoria. This can be anyone from those who have lost their homes to the fires to relief workers seeking to stay close to their posts.

Accommodation is available for stays from 1-16 January 2020 and can be booked through the Airbnb site here.

Oaks Hotels

Hotel chain Oaks is offering seven-day complimentary accommodation to those who have lost their homes in part or in full due to the bushfires. Properties are available in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia and can be booked by contacting Oaks directly on 1800 954 518.

To be eligible for the stay, you'll need to be 18+ years and provide proof of your circumstances. This includes a letter from your insurance company, fire or police that states the impact on your property by the bushfires between October 2019 and January 2020 as well as proof of your connection with the property and evidence that your home is currently uninhabitable. More information can be found on the Oaks website.

• Participating Oaks properties

  State	Property name
  Queensland	Oaks Brisbane Aurora Suites, Oaks Brisbane Casino Tower Suites, Oaks Brisbane Charlotte Suites, Oaks Brisbane Felix Suites, Oaks Brisbane Lexicon Suites, Oaks Brisbane Margaret Suites, Oaks Brisbane Woolloongabba Suites, Oaks Brisbane Mews Suites, Oaks Brisbane Festival Suites, Oaks Ipswich Aspire Suites, Oaks Townsville Metropole Hotel, Oaks Moranbah Suites, Oaks Gladstone Grand Hotel, Oaks Sunshine Coast Seaforth Resort, Oaks Sunshine Coast Oasis Resort, Oaks Port Douglas Resort.
  NSW	Oaks Sydney Goldsbrough Suites, Oaks Sydney Hyde Park Suites, Oaks Sydney Castlereagh Suites, Oaks Nelson Bay Lure Suites, Oaks The Entrance Waterfront Suites.
  Victoria	Oaks Melbourne on Collins Hotel, Oaks Melbourne on Market Hotel, Oaks Melbourne Lonsdale Suites, Oaks Melbourne on William Suites, Oaks Melbourne South Yarra Suites, Oaks Melbourne Southbank Suites.
  South Australia	Oaks Adelaide Embassy Suites, Oaks Adelaide Horizons Suites, Oaks Glenelg Liberty Suites

Pacific Hotels' Pacific Suites in Canberra has also offered 155 rooms to those who have been impacted. Marriott International is donating rooms to fire service volunteers and departments across the nation.

Find A Bed

Established in response to the Australia bushfires, Find A Bed connects people and pets in need of accommodation with spare spaces. It's run by locals who do their best to locate a space to suit your needs. However, as it is a personal website, there is no screening process or personal insurance attached, so you'll have to exercise caution when using the platform.

Before you accept your host or guest, you'll be given the chance for a phone chat as a personal screening process.

For more information and to sign up, head to the Find A Bed website.

If you're still unable to source a place to stay, another option is Helping Homes. Similar to Find A Bed, it connects you with spare rooms in your area, but again, it's a personal site so there is no screening process.

Camplify

The caravan and motorhome sharing community has put its wheels together to build Camplify Disaster Relief. It's a way for Australians willing to share their vans to provide temporary and free accommodation to those impacted by the bushfires.

This iniative runs until 7 February and in return for their generosity, van owners who participate will receive a free month of comprehensive hiring insurance on Camplify.

Those impacted by the bushfires can search for vans on Camplify's Disaster Relief page.

If you have a van to share or are experienced in towing caravans or trailers you can support this disaster relief here.

What to do once you're safe

Once you're settled in emergency or temporary accommodation and you've contacted your insurer, you can let people know you're safe.

The Red Cross offers a Register.Find.Reunite program where you can register your details and location so loved ones can locate you. Likewise, if you're unable to locate your loved ones who have been impacted by the bushfires, you can search for them on the register.

If you need support in other ways, the government's dedicated bushfire page has resources for each state and territory that has been affected.

We'll keep this page updated as we learn more. Comment below if we've missed something.

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Picture: GettyImages