Preparing for natural disasters

Hon John Carter

Civil defence is an issue that most people only think about when a disaster happens, however the recent tsunami threat and last week's Disaster Awareness Week highlight the importance of being prepared for natural disasters.

Being prepared is very important because due to our location and environment, New Zealand faces many potential disasters.

In some cases, such as a weather related or volcanic disaster, there may be time for a warning, but other natural disasters like an earthquake or a tsunami close to land could strike without warning.

All disasters have the potential to cause disruption, damage property and take lives. So it's vital that you prepare now.

In New Zealand, the risks posed by natural and man-made hazards are a fact of life. It is important to be prepared to look after yourself, your family, your home, business and community.

Everyone will be affected by a disaster, including the rescuers that we rely on. Immediately after an event, emergency services and civil defence staff will have to respond to the most critical demands. This means they may not get to everyone who needs help as quickly as needed.

It could be several days before services are restored. Even then, access may be limited.

Damaged infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and rail lines, will take longer to restore.

This is when you will be most vulnerable. Get ready now to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community.

Being prepared is easy.

All it takes is for you to prepare a household emergency plan that will help you and your household plan for what to do when disaster strikes.

You should also put together a store of essential food, water, clothing and medical supplies for you and your family to cope for at least three days during an emergency.

These two easy steps will greatly improve your chances of getting through in an emergency. International experience shows that those who are prepared for disaster are not only more resilient in an emergency but recover quicker afterwards.

While you need to be prepared, New Zealand has very good civil defence and emergency services to help out during and after an emergency. In general, they responded very well to the recent alerts, but there were some issues with the response.

As Civil Defence Minister, I have asked for a comprehensive review of the Ministry's response to be done as a first step towards resolving the problems. In addition, the Prime Minister has announced that an independent review of the response will be done also.

We are committed to making sure we have the best possible civil defence and emergency management systems and support in place. The Government will do its part, but it is also important that you are prepared too.

Further information is available at http://www.getthru.govt.nz/ - a website that is available in Chinese.