Response or Recovery Challenges

Response or Recovery Challenges

by Bruce Vincent -
Number of replies: 0

  1. What are the most serious hazards your community (or organisation) faces?

    The most serious hazards Christchurch faces are earthquake, tsunami and flooding.

  2. How would your community (or organisation) respond to the most significant hazard now?

    The community is well versed in the event of an earthquake. If an earthquake is long and strong, they know to get gone. One of the issues however, is that the main arterial route, State Highway1 (SH1) could be blocked.There are also 2 main rivers(The Rakaia to the south and the Waimakiriri to the north) that boundary the Canterbury district. This means that  people could become isolated very easily if one or both of these bridges face major failure. 

    The mobile phone civil defence alert system is practised annually along side the twice annually testing of the Tsunami sirens for low lying areas, and many people know to listen to the radio for information (and own battery powered radios for this purpose).

  3. What issues would come from that Response or Recovery?

    As ever, the issues that arise for such an event are that during the day, families are not together, so we have to trust that our childrens' schools and colleges will look after the youth (again, regular practices give us confidence).People need to have a plan of what to do and where to go if unable to get home for any reason.

    Every business and employer is aware of obligations to staff, and staff are encouraged to get to know their colleagues who live close by - to reduce the number of people relying on themselves.

    Access to grab and go bags is essential - as is the working together for the community good. 

    At night, disorientation, lack of suitable clothing and being unable to locate pets,etc, will also add to the stress of any emergency situation.

    Key issues at any time of the day are shelter, access to sanitation, food, warmth, and medications, and welfare provision.- ability to access essential medications and basic supplies will be an issue.( I generally get medications in 3 month supply but if event happens before i can renew that would be an issue)

    People with additional needs, elderly, and those with English as a second language, need support ahead of time. reliance on critical infrastucture  could be impacted. power, internet and cellphone systems could well become damaged  and will limit peoples ability to communicate and keep informed as to what they need to do to remain safe.