Individual/Family Newsletter 3: Emergency Kits and Communications

This newsheet is the third of six and the focus today is

EMERGENCY KITS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Having an emergency kit, for most people, will cost nothing other than a little time. Most people have the stuff, but it is spread out around the house and garage. All that is needed is a little organisation. The advantage is that, if anything happens, you will know where to get a torch, a first aid kit, some batteries, etc.

For a list of the sorts of things in emergency kits have a look at

http://www.eq-iq.org.nz/kitsandplans/survivalkit.aspx

and also at

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

We have a kit stored in our garage, together with our outdoor gear for camping. Old sleeping bags sit there too, and separate from our nice newer ones that stay indoors. I like to think of this as 'storing strategic stuff strategically'.

With regards to communications, try to imagine none as a baseline for several days. Sure, the CDEM teams will have battery and generator operated communications, but most of us will not have anything. A communication blackout after a major earthquake is to be expected and should not cause additional distress. Radio stations will be operating as soon as possible after an event and will give guidance about where to go for help and where to go to help others. It is important to have access to a radio.

Many people do not have dedicated battery operated radios, but most have a radio in the car, and this will work independently of power. Just make sure your keys are somewhere handy.

In the more rural townships, power, phone lines and cell phone towers may be unusable for many weeks or even months. Planning for this scale of problem may mean considering the possibility of temporary evacuation. It does no harm to consider this.

On the lighter side, a major earthquake on the West Coast could well bring in more money to the coast than even the goldrush did. Opportunities will arise for those who are adaptable, and especially those who are adaptable and prepared for such an event.

Chris Manuel
West Coast ShakeOut Coordinator
www.shakeout.org.nz

The information in this e-mail is the opinion of the author, after significant research. If you are making decisions based upon it, please take the time to follow the links and check up on the details that will affect your decision. Copies of this and previous e-mails will be available shortly on the website http://www.shakeout.org.nz, so if you have only just registered you can see what you have missed.