Northland: Be prepared if disaster strikes

START THINKING: Get Ready Week asks Northlanders to think head and prepare for emergencies, such as flooding which regularly impacts on the region.PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

Northland may have been hit by more than its fair share of storms and heavy downpours lately but people are still being encouraged to prepare for natural disasters in Civil Defence's Get Ready Week.

Annual Get Ready Week, which started on Sunday, is designed to raise awareness of potential hazards and the need to be prepared for natural disasters and other hazards.

"Being prepared for all eventualities is what makes Kiwis' 'can do attitude,' said Northland Regional Council councillor Paul Dimery, who represents the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) group.

"Everyone has their own special abilities which can be utilised to prepare," he said.

Mr Dimery said that the recent civil defence emergencies in Northland were a great lesson that people should be prepared.

"I think Northlanders were prepared really well. They reacted really well," he said.

Northland had experienced its wettest season in recorded history.

"We're prone to flooding and you can't forget we're in a tsunami-related area."

In the case of a civil defence emergency, "people should "make sure they have water, batteries, tin food, that sort of thing. Three days' worth. By that stage we should be able to get to you."

The theme this year is "what would you do?"

A display in Whangarei's Cameron St Mall yesterday outlined civil defence emergencies and what Northlanders could do to prepare.

"It will be outlining what can happen and what we need to do," said Dimery.

The emergency management group is also posting daily messages and challenges on Facebook during the week, which runs until Saturday.

They are posting a disaster scenario each day, to get people thinking about what to do in these situations.

People are also able to share their best tips for coping in events similar to the recent flooding in Northland.

A range of information on Get Ready Week can be found on the Civil Defence website, including scenarios in which people are asked how they might cope in the event of various disasters.