Planners use foreign disasters to prepare for worst

Auckland civil defence officials are using the lessons learnt from recent worldwide natural disasters like Hurricane Rita and the Boxing Day tsunami in a bid to prepare the city and its surrounds.

After the Asian tsunami, the Government asked the Civil Defence Ministry to report on New Zealand's tsunami readiness. The report - taking in the American authorities' experiences with the hurricanes - is to be tabled in Parliament by the end of the year.

It will go into the preparation for and risk posed by tsunami.

The tsunami has also prompted Auckland's civil defence minders to advance planning to prepare for devastation by tidal wave.

The regional civil defence plan that came into force in May set a moderate priority target date of June 2008 for having a management plan to respond and recover from a tsunami.

Instead, volcanic eruption was seen as the greatest threat.

"We have done a contingency plan for that but, in view of the public concern, we brought forward planning for a tsunami hazard," said Jim Stephens, the manager of Auckland's civil defence emergency management group.

This planning was being done at the same time as that for an bird flu pandemic, with the Ministry of Health, he said.

The tsunami hazard was highlighted at a meeting in Auckland this week attended by more than 90 senior local authority and emergency services officers.

Senior scientist Dr James Goff, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, warned them of catastrophe if waves over 1m hit low-lying parts of Auckland's east and west coasts.

His view was based on how badly Sri Lanka's narrow coastal strip fared during a series of waves in the Boxing Day tsunami and also historical evidence of waves up to 35m reaching New Zealand shores.

Waves could be caused by either local or distant volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.

A warning system for locally generated tsunami would not be available for some years, said Ministry of Civil Defence officials.

New Zealand was one of 30 countries included in the warning system for tsunami coming from distant parts of the Pacific earthquake zone.

However, it is up to New Zealand authorities to estimate the impact of the tsunami on its shores.

Little is known about historical severity, frequency and impact of tsunami in New Zealand.

The Auckland Regional Council plans a scientific model study to assess which areas would be worst hit in a range of scenarios for wave height and approach.

The study cannot be done until late in the year when a laser mapping exercise yields detailed measurements of land contours.

The experience of New Zealand emergency managers in Asia and in America with Hurricane Katrina would also be analysed, said regional civil defence chair Neil Morrison.

"We'll be seeing whether our plan needs to improve. The tsunami hit home to us how vulnerable we are. There is a bit more sense of urgency in our tsunami planning."

Waitakere City Council chief executive Harry O'Rourke, who is the regional emergency management group controller, said heightened awareness of tsunmai destruction would improve planning.

"The volcanic eruption hazard is always there but at least we would get about three weeks' warning of when and where.

"But the tsunami examples given, of something happening close to us, would give only an hour to prepare - and that ain't long ... what if it was midnight on Saturday?"

Mr O'Rourke said planning must focus on the recovery phase after the saving of lives.

"Where are we going to shelter and feed them, how are we going to get their homes fit to live in again.

"America has the mightiest resources in the world yet the recovery seems to have them baffled almost.

"We don't have anything like its resources so we really have to plan it very well."

Mr O'Rourke said Auckland's recovery resources were dwindling.

The defence forces had withdrawn from Papakura and Hobsonville bases, the number of police per citizen was reduced, and the number of volunteers available had dropped.

Councils had also dismantled their works departments.

The priorities for Auckland:
* Biological: animal disease/epidemic
* Biological: human epidemic
* Cyclone
* Earthquake
* Lifeline utility failure
* Major aircraft crash
* Volcanic: Auckland volcanic field
* Volcanic: distant volcanic eruption
* Coastal tsunami