Mock earthquake exercise useful

Earthquake drills are worthwhile.

The residents of Hastings retirement village Summerset in the Orchard passed a recent "earthquake" with flying colours, although the exercise did lead to some emergency preparation upgrades.

Hastings District Council emergency management team leader Trevor Mitchell paid tribute to the management and more than 200 residents of the village for sparking the test and putting together emergency plans.

Emergency management staff visited the Ada St retirement village on November 24 to co-ordinate the mock earthquake exercise and gave a presentation to wardens and staff which covered the top 10 hazards for the region and how to mitigate the impact of them on the village.

"The village is located in a lower hazard area of Hastings with earthquake being the greatest risk," Mr Mitchell said.

"The exercise was designed to test the village's emergency procedures and educate the residents on preparing for a disaster."

Mr Mitchell said it was encouraging to see the management and residents of the village being proactive in their preparation for any hazards which could affect them. "Having a plan and being prepared is an essential step in building the resilience of our communities."

Summerset Village manager Allan den Boer said the village was divided into sectors with a warden appointed for each section, and prior to the exercise wardens visited each home and provided information on local hazards, what to do in an emergency, and how to prepare.

"The exercise provided some very useful information about how we can plan for an emergency," he said, adding it had led to some changes.

A back-up water supply had been installed as well as a small generator which would provide lighting in the event of an emergency and power loss.