Board up the windows, find a safe place or leave, depending on your situation. Have canned food and bottled water if you stay and hope for the best.

Further information:

Emergency Management Queensland's website offers the following advice for basic action before and during a cyclone:

• Have a list of emergency phone numbers is an easily accessible position
• Determine which is the strongest, most secure room in your house
• Pack an Emergency kit which includes items such as first aid, torch and portable radio with spare batteries, gloves, candles, matches, copies of important documents e.g. birth certificates, essential medications, canned foods
• Have an evacuation plan ready, including evacuation routes, spare fuel, and listen to Community Service Announcements so you are familiar with what is happening
• Ensure all garden furniture and loose items outside are secured so they cannot become flying torpedoes
• Plan ahead of time what will happen with your pets, especially if you cannot take them with you in the event of an evacuation
• Check your roof condition beforehand, and ensure all loose tiles, iron sheeting, etc is secured and repaired
• Trim overhanging branches to keep them well away from the house
• Fill buckets and bath with water in case the drinking water supply is compromised
• Have sufficient cash on hand for emergencies
• Tape windows in criss-cross fashion using strong packing tape if you do not have shutters

Once a cyclone hits:

• Turn off electricity, gas and water, and unplug all appliances
• Ensure everyone, including pets, are inside
• Move your family to the strongest room
• Keep your emergency kit with you at all times
• Keep listening to the radio for updates
• If your house begins to break apart, shelter under a really strong table or a mattress
• During the calm eye, do not venture outdoors. Stay where you are, as the other side of the cyclone is often more intense than before the eye. Wait for the all-clear announced on the radio.

  Click on the link below (Cyclones in the Northern Territory) for full information to guide you through this process.

• Check with your local council or your building control authority to see if your home has been built to cyclone standards.
• Check that the walls, roof and eaves of your home are secure.
• Trim treetops and branches well clear of your home (get council permission).
• Preferably fit shutters, or at least metal screens, to all glass areas.
• Clear your property of loose material that could blow about and possibly cause injury or damage during extreme winds.
• In case of a storm surge/tide warning, or other flooding, know your nearest safe high ground and the safest access route to it.
• Prepare an emergency kit containing:
  • a portable battery radio, torch and spare batteries;
  • water containers, dried or canned food and a can opener;
  • matches, fuel lamp, portable stove, cooking gear, eating utensils; and
  • a first aid kit and manual, masking tape for windows and waterproof bags.
• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers on display.
• Check neighbours, especially if recent arrivals, to make sure they are prepared.

• Re-check your property for any loose material and tie down (or fill with water) all large, relatively light items such as boats and rubbish bins.
• Fill vehicles' fuel tanks. Check your emergency kit and fill water containers.
• Ensure household members know which is the strongest part of the house and what to do in the event of a cyclone warning or an evacuation.
• Tune to your local radio/TV for further information and warnings.
• Check that neighbours are aware of the situation and are preparing.