Police – Have a plan

As I sat at my desk today and looked at the rain driving horizontally into my office window, I reflected on how far away that wonderful Mahurangi summer weather seems at this time of year. I see that earlier this week, the people of the upper South Island had it tough. Floods, slips, trees across power lines, all sorts of weather-induced mischief. It got me to thinking about my own family’s state of readiness for one of those adverse weather-related events or natural disasters.

How would we cope with a lengthy time without communications, power or access to the shops and petrol stations for a few days? I know I’m straying into Civil Defence’s realm here, but with the winter newsfeed firmly in the front of my mind, I set about making sure that my own house was in order.

First up there needs to be a plan for that emergency and, most importantly, make sure that everyone in your family knows what the plan is. Consider what the emergency is most likely to be and plan accordingly – wind, flood, earthquake, tsunami or volcano – we live in the Auckland region after all.

Have somewhere you all know to meet and consider a means to communicate with each other if you can’t meet. Give everyone a role so even the children know what they need to do. Kids love a practice run, too, and you can prepare for any realistic scenario with a bit of practice: drop, cover, hold for earthquakes, escape route planning for a fire, and so on.

Make sure that you have enough food and water for a few days. Civil Defence recommends at least three days’ supplies on hand. Have some way to get safety instructions from Civil Defence like a compact AM/FM radio with batteries, and check that those batteries are not flat. It’s also a good idea to have bag with a few absolute necessities, ready to grab and go if you desperately needed to. Think items like a flashlight, basic first aid supplies and vital medications. Finally, think about others around you. People like an elderly neighbour or a family with very young children who may need a bit of extra support in a crisis.

The thing with emergencies is that you don’t get any time to prepare once they’ve arrived. Having a plan is crucial to everyone’s ability to cope when that emergency finally arrives. My family has a plan now. If we’re lucky, we’ll never need it.

Info: Download the Rodney Emergency Readiness & Response Plan here: https://shorturl.at/qJz7s or visit https://www.aucklandemergencymanagement.govt.nz/