Where will you be.....

Where will you be if a natural disaster strikes?

Who knows where you would be.  Nobody knows. You could be at work, at the gym, at the movies, at the beach, in a bus, asleep at night in bed and the list goes on.  The likelihood that you will be at home at the time is anyones guess, but what would you do if you were away from home at the time disaster strikes?

All workplaces have evacuation procedures in place and everyone should be confident in explaining how to evacuate the building immediately down or up the stairs, depending on your circumstances.  And remember - if you evacuate the building down the stairs in a single-file, 'apparently' it's faster and more effective than if you all went scrambling down at once.  I remember recently during a fire drill at my workplace, getting annoyed at people chatting and catching up on the way down.  Not the time and place and it really slowed the whole process down.  Though I'm sure this wouldn't be the case if it was a real emergency and we truly did need to run for our dear lives.

So my question is, have you got a plan for your family if you were not with them?  

Have you arranged to check in with each other immediately after a natural disaster by text or phone to confirm who is where?  Do you make your way home to your family or do you stay put? I guess you would assess each situation at the time and decide whatever is appropriate and safe. If your children were at school, does the school have a designated person to contact to find out about your kids? I'm certain all schools have emergency plans in place, but it might pay to find out exactly what their procedures are. Maybe even have your child's teacher's mobile phone number, but only for code red emergencies. Communication is key. So make sure your mobile phone is always charged and that you always have your phone charger with you.

These are all things we would never normally think about or even ask, but may make all the difference if disaster strikes.  

By planning and making a little effort,  we don't expel PANIC completely, but are attempting to try to reduce and manage a natural state of panic if and when disaster strikes.  

New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year 2012!

Are you kidding me.  The new year has started already?

If 2011 was anything to go by....brace yourself people.  Let your instincts reign supreme and let your senses be on the alert.

I'm not talking about that issue you had during 2011 which may have seemed like the end of the world at the time - you know the one which consumed your mind completely.  You know what I'm talking about right.  That issue or perhaps minor/major change which turned everything upside down, inside out, but in the end you came through it right?  A bit ruffled and shell-shocked but you survived.  BTW thanks Dr Spencer Johnson for writing the book 'Who Moved My Cheese.'  It was a tremendous help to me during 2011.

I'm talking about the sobering reality of the recent earthquakes still haunting the people of Christchurch.  Really Mother Nature and a couple of days before Christmas?  If Christmas wasn't already stressful enough.

Did you know earlier tonight 1/1/12 at 10.05 pm, another earthquake struck Christchurch. This was the third one of the day.  Details can be found at the following link:

http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html

I think you'd all agree, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Christchurch for enduring the wrath of natural disasters during 2011 and now on the first day of 2012. Are they aftershocks or small ones leading up to the big one I wonder? You'd think by now man would have been able to predict such natural disasters or be able to press a magic button to counter the devastation.  Only in Hollywood.  What would Steven Speilberg do? Forgive me for the very dry humour, but it pretty much sums up how ridiculous this is all getting right?!

Still, what doesn't break you makes you stronger, more resilient and tougher ready for the next challenge.  Stay safe Christchurch!

It has now come to that time of year when those New Years resolutions are ignited or reignited if you didn't succeed in 2011.  But for me the natural disasters put everything into perspective.  My New Years resolutions seem trivial, even silly when I think that people in Christchurch are in constant survival mode.

Oh, not to mention the weird and not-so-wonderful rain most parts of the country have experienced recently.  Here in Auckland the rain dampened the holiday spirit somewhat but check out what it did to Nelson...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10773931&gallery_id=123148

Not so somewhat in Nelson.  'Mud seeking shelter' and 'men in trees.' (Photos courtesy of stuff.co.nz)

So, what are your New Years resolutions?  Weightloss, hopes, dreams, dream partner, being debt-free or financial success?  I've got one to add to the list, a bit off the beaten track. Take a guess.  YES...

....to spend more time planning, starting or working on a disaster plan!  We are fortunate in Auckland, as are all parts of NZ, to have agencies such as NZ Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and Auckland Council who are working collaboratively who can assist with your plan.  They are well resourced and ready for you.

http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf/wpgURL/Being-Prepared-Index?OpenDocument

The information is out there ready for you to collect.  We just need to get a move on.  So Aucklanders or where ever you are in the world, add 'Natural Disaster Plan' to your list of New Years Resolutions 2012.  What have you got to lose?

So bring on 2012 I say....oh have you heard of Myanism and the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar?  Now that's another story - I'd recommend watching the movie '2012' if you haven't.

All the very best for 2012 and hopefully we never need to look to Hollywood for inspiration to address the seriousness of natural disasters.

Christmas Cheer with 'What's the Plan Stan?'

December 2011 has arrived and yes most if not all of you are thinking - where did the year go.

It's that time when we get excited about the holidays, Christmas get-togethers and a gear down from the year, but also there's a part which is just dreading the chaotic scramble and madness from people flocking to do their shopping.  And people get so stressed and wound up.  Go on, do it all online it's so much easier and they deliver too.

So, it just so happened that I was in the CBD during the Farmers Santa Parade recently. Having encountered the road blocks, I got caught up in the traditional Christmas cheer that is hard to avoid during this time of year. Being a good sport, I too was one cheering for the impressive floats which have vastly improved over the years since my early memory of the parade when I was about five years old.  Not bad at all Farmers and other stakeholders that were involved including Auckland Council.  To top it all off, they offered a free entertainment show for the kids, free candyfloss and even photos superimposed on a mock front page of a newspaper which headlined 'Santa's Stowaways.'

But wait, what impressed me the most was not Santa and his broken finger, but this...

A Get Ready, Get Thru booth smack bang in the middle of Aotea Square!

Auckland Council in partnership with Civil Defence and Emergency Management had set up an excellent information booth to raise awareness on preparedness for natural disasters.  Magnificent.  The effort to raise awareness on the day was great. I was actually standing in the line for a hotdog and was approached by a lady from the booth who then gave me an information pack.  They came to me.  Great stuff. Everyone in the vicinity got one. 

The theme for the information in the bag was targeted at children and was called: 'What's the Plan Stan?' with a picture of a cute dog all geared up as a disaster management officer.  It was designed as a resource for schools.

Great catchy branding!  I'm so excited, I'm now going to share what was in the bag.  It contained an educational activity book on the different types of natural disasters, stickers of Stan the dog, a balloon of Stan the dog and a vital brochure which states in 4 steps 'how to get ready.'

The brochure clearly outlined:


1.     Learn about the disasters that can affect you.
2.     Create and practise a household emergency plan.
3.     Assemble and maintain emergency survival items.
4.     Have a getaway kit in case you have to leave in a hurry.


Great stuff!  Every household needs one.


You can find out more at the following link:

aucklandcivildefence.org.nz

If you get a chance, please check it out!

Wishing everybody a merry Christmas and a safe new year 2012...

and those not celebrating Christmas, happy holidays...

What's in your emergency kit?

The basics in your survival kit is set out clearly by Civil Defence - Get Ready, Get Thru.  These items include the following:

• torches;
• portable battery powered radio;
• non-perishable food (enough for 3 days or more) - canned food, dried food, long-life milk, special dietary requirements;
• can opener (manual);
• water (at least 3 litres per person per day);
• plastic storage containers and plastic bags;
• emergency toilet: plastic pail, toilet paper, large rubbish bags;
• first aid kit or items to top up kit;
• essential medicines;
• wind and waterproof clothing;
• sun hats, sunscreen, insect repellant;
• strong outdoor shoes;
• blankets or sleeping bags;
• face and dust masks;
• primus or gas barbeque;
• baby's emergency items: food, formula and drink, change of clothing and nappies;
• pet supplies;
• toiletries; and 
• getaway kit - a small bag with essential items in case you have to leave in a hurry.

http://www.getthru.govt.nz/web/GetThru.nsf/web/BOWN-7GZTZF?OpenDocument

These are the basic essentials.  But what about the personal items, such as family photographs, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies, jewellery, etc, do you know where these are?  All in one place ready to grab in a few seconds?  Hopefully by now you have copied all your photos on to a memory stick.  The 8 GB memory storage sticks are great.  Any other treasures?  Of course you need to figure out now exactly what you would consider your treasure.  Everyone's treasure is personal.

However at the end of the day, in an actual emergency, a life takes precedence over your treasures.  That's universal law of common sense.

Lastly, I've stumbled upon a great choice of food to include in your kit.  It's the Cookie Time One Square Meal bar.  Check it out, support 'New Zealand Made' - oh and they have chocolate now too!  

http://www.cookietime.co.nz/index.shtml

So there you are, those of you reading this may not have your kit ready, but at least now you are thinking about it right and hey, that's a start.

Preparedness for the expected and unexpected....

What is your definition of preparedness?  Could you be more prepared for an expected event than an unexpected event?

Say for example just for definition sake, the RWC 2011 opening night was a planned expected event.  But just how ready was Auckland?

Without delving too much into the political arena, many would argue it began and started as a natural disaster (excuse the pun).  Others may argue a natural disaster because it was natural for the Auckland infrastructure to show areas of deficiency given the way it was set up to fail.  BTW I admire and have the utmost respect for those who starred on the 'accountability billboard' and became the face of 'faux pas' as a consequence of the opening night issues - despite the fact that it was not their 'faux pas' to own. Everyone knew it.  It showed great character and fortitude and it also revealed the goodies and the baddies. Oops is this getting political, hard not to in Auckland...back to the issue.

In the end you could say it was an unexpected event due to the unexpected number of people who turned up on the night.  Who would have thought to factor in the perfect hot spring day and the Tongan patriotic fanatical support which expectedly contributed to a high fan turnout.  Therefore Auckland, could you even be prepared for an expected event?

An example of an unexpected event (slightly geographically off course) is the recent grounding of the container vessel Rena off the coast of Tauranga.

This resulted in a natural disaster of the highest degree with regard to the damage to the ecological systems and natural environment, not to mention the animal life from the oil. You could say it was an 'expected unexpected' as there are laws and legislation in this country to address such disaster.  But despite this the laws were not adequate to counter such an event.  Unexpected, expected, call it what you will, even NZ was not prepared.

Key message for today:  Expected or unexpected, can you be ever be fully prepared for any event.  The answer is no.  However, we must do something and not nothing.  With all the technology and information at our fingertips and disposal, we must try our utmost best to be prepared.  And lastly we must look at history and past events to learn from, to use for our future plans, for preparedness for a natural disaster.

Come on people, must we rely on Piri to do everything?

Tornado in Avondale???!!!

And around the corner a sleeping tornado woke up in the sleepy suburb of Avondale! Yes, west of Auckland on Sunday afternoon, 11 September 2011 at approximately 1 pm. In and around Canal Road, the west got a taste, as did the north a few months back, of the devastation a tornado could cause within seconds. Luckily there were no fatalities and the damage was considerably less than that of the one in North Shore, nonetheless, damage was done to homes, much to the bewilderment of locals. Many were left wondering...but why?  Pointless damage mother nature!  Why was she so upset???

Here is a photo taken on Canal Road courtesy of NZ Herald - Richard Robinson.

I pray a tornado will never visit my street and suburb any time soon.

Snow in Auckland??!!!!

OK, I know I've been missing in action for a couple of months, for great reason of course that's another story, but what's up Auckland with the snow recently????  I know this is a delayed reaction, still reeling in utter shock, like a stunned mullet....I myself was indoors high up in a building oblivious to the freakish weather having decided the biting cold wind was just not for me.  I didn't realise the extent of the sprinkle of white flakes until watching the news that evening.  Thank goodness I don't live in Wellington!

This photo was taken in Parnell courtesy of 3News taken by Ashley Abbott.

Another freakish natural phenomena which makes me think.....what's around the corner Auckland?