Is NZ ready for a New Orleans scale disaster?

The New Zealand forensic team in Thailand identified bodies after the tsunami not just to help out with the relief effort, although that was a big part of it.

It was also good training. They, like the emergency services and scientists, know that one day New Zealand will have its own huge disaster.

The catchphrase used by civil defence is when, not if. The other is, be prepared.

The Civil Defence Act of 2002 puts the onus on local bodies to make sure they have a co-ordinated response for any kind of disaster, and they now all have plans in place.

If emergency services are overwhelmed locally, decisions will be made about whether to bring in the Army or Navy.

If the disaster is too big, or a local team is not able to operate, contingency plans exist about who will run the operation.

But despite disasters being high-profile this year, it seems many of us are not prepared at home, with no emergency supplies put aside and a "she'll be right" attitude.

It's not like we don't know New Zealand is a potentially dangerous country with its long faultlines and islands surrounded by ocean.

If the tsunami in Asia and now the aftermath of an unprepared New Orleans is not warning enough that catastrophic events happen with little notice, New Zealand has dealt with its own share of earthquakes and floods over the years.

New Zealand's biggest earthquake was 150 years ago at magnitude 8.2. A symposium in Wellington this week has been looking at the earthquake's impact, which included a tsunami in Cook Strait and the pushing up of new land in the capital.

It caused dramatic upheaval but few deaths because of the small population of the time. It would be a different story today.

The worst national disaster of recent times was the extensive Manawatu floods of last February.

This year on a smaller, but still dramatic, scale giant boulders spewed from the hills at the small settlement of Matata in the Bay of Plenty and parts of nearby Tauranga flooded.

Since European settlement there have been dozens of tsunamis, ranging in size and impact.

Why, then, have so few of us got supplies aside should disaster strike?

You know the ones - the water supply, the tinned food, the battery-operated radio, a torch and first aid kit.

An Auckland Regional Council survey indicates high awareness of disaster potential but low preparation.

The 2003/04 environmental awareness survey found that while 57 per cent of respondents were concerned or very concerned about hazards and disasters, 40 per cent had done nothing to prepare.

Only 18 per cent of people had stockpiled water and only six per cent had a radio and spare batteries. Just four per cent had talked to family members about what to do if a hazard warning was heard.

There are various reasons for the complacency. Some people are overly optimistic that while others may die, they will be fine.

Others cope with their anxiety by denying a disaster is likely to happen, or write it off as something they can do nothing about therefore there is no point preparing.

Others still expect someone wearing a civil defence uniform to forge their way across the raging flood waters, or the lava zone, or the debris from an earthquake and rescue them within half an hour.

But there is no standing army in Auckland ready to gallop in and rescue you from ash and lava and debris should a new volcano erupt, says Jim Stephens, the manager of Auckland's Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEM), one of 16 such groups throughout the country.

The reality is you should plan for at least three days of toughing it on your own.

"In New Zealand, because we've had over recent years a number of flooding emergencies, like Tauranga, Manawatu etc, we've learnt a hell of a lot, a substantial lot, about how to deal with things quickly.

"But even then, like in the Manawatu, there was criticism that emergency services were not there quick enough and in some cases people weren't even contacted for five days."

The CDEM groups bring together local authorities, emergency services, lifeline utilities (such as telephone networks and roading), government departments and local support agencies.

They hold regular meetings and organise training so that in the event of a disaster, the response will be rapid.

One of the scenarios planned for in Auckland is the eruption of a volcano.

The city is on a volcanic field and while it is unlikely the 50 volcanoes already here will erupt again, scientists say another could erupt in a different location.

The most recent eruption was Rangitoto, some 600 years ago. Auckland's distinctive landmark arrived with little warning back then, but if another Rangitoto decides to erupt, we are likely to have more of an idea it is coming.

A seismic monitoring network keeps tabs on underground vibrations and if an eruption is imminent, evacuation plans would be launched.

Radio and television would run alerts telling people where they should go. Police would be out and about making a lot of noise and getting people out of homes and businesses.

Unlike in New Orleans, those who could not leave by themselves would be taken on buses. Decisions would be made at the time about where to take people. If there was an eruption in Birkenhead it might not be clever to take them to North Harbour stadium because the prevailing wind could blow ash, smoke and toxic gases into the stadium.

Stephens says Auckland is unlikely to suffer the way New Orleans is suffering, in that the entire city has closed down.

"But on the other side of the coin we would expect there would be severe disruption to traffic, water supplies, power and all those things."

He pauses when questioned if we are as prepared as we can be, then answers, probably not.

"And why? Because on our community surveys and things we've done, the public do not take the occurrence of a major disaster in this city [seriously] - it's not high on their 'things that are going to happen' list.

"So, therefore, such things as community teams and community awareness, in a lot of cases they're not there."

An education campaign is under way to increase public awareness of the potential for disaster to strike and what people should do to survive.

John Norton, the director of the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, says lessons have been learned from the Manawatu floods.

One was that some people in the community were not aware of what was expected of them.

Because of this, $6 million will be spent over four years on public education.

The trick in education is getting the public to understand they have to shoulder some responsibility for survival, says Norton.

"See, the difficulty is you can scare people so much that they feel powerless and therefore they won't take any measure."

The old civil defence message - have three days worth of kit and you will be rescued - has changed.

It is now have three days of kit and you will be supported. The reason for the change is an attempt to fight complacency.

"If people get a message have your three days of kit and you'll be rescued, then they'll sit there waiting to be rescued."

Sources include: the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management website (mcdem.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf) and the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences website (gns.cri.nz)

Are you prepared?

You should:

* Have an emergency survival kit. It should contain enough water and food for at least three days, including canned food and a can opener. The kit should be checked once a year and the food and water renewed.
* Have a fully-equipped first aid kit. Spare toilet paper and plastic rubbish bags for your emergency toilet.
* A waterproof torch and a battery-operated radio, with spare batteries for both, which should be regularly checked.
* Don't forget pet supplies and emergency clothing such as strong shoes and blankets.
* Pack a "getaway kit" ready for evacuation with documents such as birth certificates.
* Talk to your family about how to maintain contact with each other during an emergency and where to shelter in an earthquake, flood or storm.
* Be involved in your street so you know who your neighbours are - they might be the ones to rescue you.