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If the big one hits it helps to be organised. Take a look at this article for your action plan. |
If the big one hits, you don’t want to be scrambling for whatever device you use to go online for help. This feature's all about preparation...so look up and remember (or print out) the bits that might apply to you.
“Due to its location and environment, New Zealand faces many potential disasters.” With that cheerful opening, the Ministry of Civil Defence introduces you to its Get Ready Get Thru site (www.getthru.govt.nz). As well as a checklist and a household emergency plan (which you complete in consultation with the rest of the household, ideally), there are links to radio stations that are prepped to broadcast information during civil emergencies, and advice on things like how to stock up on safe water, or take care of sick or vulnerable people, pets and livestock during an emergency. And it features many lists: what to include in a first aid kit, a getaway kit, emergency survival items and so on. It’s just about immeasurable, how useful it would be to have these to hand - and even better, committed to memory - rather than be trying to look up this information when your home and family is under threat. The site’s content is available in Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, Arabic and Maori as well as English. It’s not limited to natural disasters, either. While earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and floods get plenty of coverage, you’ll also get an idea of what you need to do to protect yourself in the event of a fire, pandemic, bomb threat or terrorist attack. City, district and regional councils also have sections dedicated to civil defence on their Web sites. Get Thru links to councils through www.getthru.govt.nz/Your-Council.77.0.html. There’s a mixed bag of information across the council sites – not all of it is aimed at the general public and in many cases it’s more about regulations and plans than protection. Auckland City Council’s, for instance, is somewhat buried under Plans, Policies and Reports, but once you get to it is quite useful, covering volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, storms, tsunamis, floods and, in brief, non-natural disasters.
Where the information is located on sites also varies from council to council – look under ‘E’ for emergency, or civil defence and you’ll find such resources as downloadable PDFs and detailed lists of dos and don’ts for emergencies.
Seven councils throughout the country now also have civil defence text message services where, if you sign up, you’ll receive free text alerts in an emergency. See www.optn.co.nz/index.php?s=civil-defence for links to the councils involved (you can also subscribe to the service from this site).
For links to other relevant organisations around the country, see the Civil Defence list at www.auckland.cdemg.org.nz/links.htm. It also links to international emergency organisations; some of which make good background reading.
One of the best sources of civil defence advice is Crown Research Institute Property Insight (propertyinsight.gns.cri.nz), which is devoted to property hazards. It’s very detailed and laced with facts and statistics; for example, the frequency of earthquakes in different regions, and what Richter Scale ratings mean.
GNS Science, another CRI, has a site called Hazard Watch (www.hazardwatch.co.nz), which includes volcano cams, and up-to-date data on recent New Zealand earthquakes and lets you subscribe to an earthquake notification service. There’s a lot more in-depth reading here on the causes and signs of natural disasters, plus links to GeoNet and GNS Science sites, which include all sorts of fun stuff like creating your own earthquake map.
For advice on surviving a fire, try the NZ Fire Service’s site at www.fire.org.nz (look under ‘Safety in your home’). In fact, nearly all the information on this site is about preventing fire or fireproofing buildings. There’s just one page about what to do in the event of a fire. Counties Manukau Fire District’s site has more detailed advice on fire safety at nsupport.co.nz/fire/fire_tips.html, going over how to get yourself out of a burning house, put out small kitchen fires and so on.
Again, most council Web sites have some advice on surviving fires in their civil defence coverage; for example, Taupo District Council devotes a page to escaping a fire at www.taupodc.govt.nz/Civil+Defence/Fire.htm.
A St John first aid course will stand you in good stead if you ever need to help others in an emergency. Failing that, there are tips from the St John first aid manual on its site at www.stjohn.org.nz/tips. You can also buy a first aid kit online from the St John online shop. The Red Cross’s site also provides first aid tips (www.redcross.org.nz).
Land Transport New Zealand’s site recommends that everyone do a first aid course to learn procedures such as CPR and resuscitation. Given the high incidence of car crashes compared to civil defence emergencies, it’s advice worth listening to. For a rundown on what to do at the scene of a car crash, see Land Transport New Zealand’s page on driver responsibility (tinyurl.com/2k8kkd).
What about the kids?
Children need to know what to do in an emergency too. Get them to visit the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa’s ‘Are you prepared?’ section, at tinyurl.com/2tz8oz, which is part of the site’s Online Learning Resources section. Kids also get their own advice on Civil Defence’s kids’ site, What’s The Plan, Stan? (www.whatstheplanstan.govt.nz). Making sure the whole family knows what to do when disaster strikes is vital; plus, kids are more likely to retain this information than the rest of us.
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