Canberrans are very worried about bushfires, but not very prepared for them, according to one of the country's biggest insurers.
"While ACT residents are the most concerned in the country about being impacted by bushfires this season, they are the least likely to have taken steps to prepare," NRMA Insurance said as it published its nationwide research.
The company, which has nothing to do with the roadside help organisation, said that three-quarters of ACT residents were concerned about being impacted by a bushfire this spring and summer but only one in five had taken steps to prepare and protect their homes in the past six months.
NRMA Insurance, which is part of the Insurance Australia Group, called the results for the ACT "startling".
Despite the high level of concern, the insurance company said that few Canberrans had taken bushfire protection steps like clearing gutters and cutting away foliage near a house.
The company's chief meteorologist thought that high levels of concern in the ACT were partly because of memories of the 2003 fires.
"With parts of the ACT on alert for grassfires, we're encouraging people to prepare now, particularly as grasslands are drying up quickly as we head into El Nino conditions," Bruce Buckley said.
The research which compares the ACT with other jurisdictions is published in the company's Wild Weather Tracker.
It indicates that two-thirds of Canberrans said that seeing recent extreme weather overseas - like devastating floods in Libya, bushfires in Spain and Greece, massive storms in the US - had made Canberrans more concerned about the impacts of fires closer to home as the weather heats up in Australia.
The Bureau of Meteorology has formally declared an El Nino weather event which means prolonged hotter and drier weather.
With more than 60 fires burning across NSW, the Bureau said there was a greater risk of fires and extreme heat over the summer.
NRMA Insurance has also published a breakdown of claims for damage over the winter.
Across Australia, it received 4184 claims for wild weather damage to homes and vehicles during winter.
In the ACT, there were 66 wild weather claims, well down on the 228 in the previous winter.
Most of this winter's claims were for damage to homes (53) and the rest were for damage to vehicles (13).
Gunghalin was the suburb which put in most claims, followed by Monash, Conder, Isabella Plains and Kaleen.
The NRMA Insurance meteorologist said that despite a mild winter, residents of the ACT should be prepared for all types of weather extremes this spring.
"Some of the extreme weather drivers experienced in the Northern Hemisphere, such as widespread and increased sea temperatures and El Nino also apply to Australia, escalating the risks associated with higher temperatures this spring," Dr Buckley said.
"With parts of the ACT on alert for grassfires, we're encouraging people to prepare now, particularly as grasslands are drying up quickly as we head into El Nino conditions.
"On top of fire risk, severe storms can develop quickly and strike at any time, so it's critical people understand their local risks and stay alert for storms that can emerge quickly."
