Articles

Being prepared

You cannot be too prepared for a disaster, says John Haylock BankLink's Practice Performance Manager. If any good can come out of the tragedy of the Canterbury earthquake it is for the rest of the country to be better prepared when the next big event occurs.

As I write this article the incredibly sad events of the Canterbury earthquake on 22 February are still unfolding. It is obvious that there will be massive impacts on the Christchurch community, including its businesses. The CBD will probably be inaccessible for some time and many buildings will be demolished.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to all those affected and particularly to those who have lost loved ones and those whose livelihoods have been seriously affected.

As New Zealanders we live in a country that is both beautiful and dangerous. Four days before the Canterbury earthquake I sat in my office in New Plymouth watching a series of waterspouts move across the sea just a few
kilometres offshore and then dissipate before they hit land. It was an awesome but also scary sight. Tornadoes are a very real threat and a relatively regular occurrence in Taranaki. One day a tornado of substance will hit New Plymouth and cause major destruction and death. It could be tomorrow or it could be in 200 years.

Just a couple of days after the Canterbury earthquake, the former category four tropical cyclone Atu drifted down the east coast just a couple of hundred kilometres offshore. If it had hit the North Island there could well have been major flooding and wind damage. In this case the country was lucky. Again, one day New Zealand (most likely the north or east of the North Island) will be hit by a seriously destructive tropical cyclone. It could even happen this year as the La Nina conditions are ideal for cyclone formation.

Both of these fortunate misses happened in the same week as the Canterbury earthquake. The reason I mention these two other events is to reinforce that natural hazards are a very real and ongoing threat to us all in New Zealand. Many communities are at genuine risk of events such as earthquake, volcanic eruption, tsunami, destructive wind or flood. As well as the impact of the initial event there are also the risks of the secondary impacts such as fire, lack of water, loss of power or loss of sanitation services that affected Christchurch so severely.

If any good can come out of the tragedy of the Canterbury earthquake it is for the rest of the country to be better prepared when the next big event occurs.

Christchurch was not looked on as one of our cities at high risk of a major earthquake. Yet it happened there. The reality is that a disaster could strike anytime, anywhere in New Zealand.

There are some key questions you should be asking. How prepared are you personally? How prepared is your family? How prepared is your business? If you haven't done so already, now is a great time to review your disaster and recovery planning.

Know what to do if an earthquake or other event occurs. Civil Defence says get under your desk or a doorway in an earthquake and don't go outside until the shaking has stopped. In Christchurch, as occurred in Hawke's Bay
in 1931, many people apparently ran out of buildings during the quake and were killed by falling masonry and collapsing facades.

Put in place an evacuation plan for your home and your office. Know where your family and your team are going to meet. Ensure you have sufficient food and water to survive for at least three days. Make sure you have a radio that runs on batteries and that you have spare batteries available. Get a car charger for your phone so that you can recharge it even if the electricity is off. Make sure you know how to get hold of all your staff – have a list of their home addresses and mobile phone numbers and keep a copy somewhere you can access if you can't get into your office.

Ensure your computer system is backed up and stored securely off site. Locate your files in a fireproof area of your office. Put in place processes for your staff to work from home.

These are just some of the key issues you should address. You cannot overplan for a disaster nor over-rehearse what to do. It probably won't happen to you. But if it does, being prepared can make all the difference.

This article first appeared in The Journal. It is reproduced with the permission of the NZICA.