Are we ready for any disaster?

Gazing out over a swollen Whanganui River in glorious sunshine had a surreal feel yesterday.

Only 24 hours earlier, we, along with other agencies, had been warning of the potential for a significant flood event.

Thankfully, early predictions did not come to fruition, and we were spared loss of life and significant damage to property.

It is always with a sense of awe that I stroll down to the City Bridge and imagine the water flows as they must have been in correlation with the various flood markers.

So it was yesterday when talk first emerged of an event to rival the October 1998 flood.

Standing gazing at the marker, I tried to picture the amount of water flowing past and how widespread any flooding would be.

Thankfully, the revised assessments provided later on Monday proved accurate as the water lapped at the boardwalk, in some places covering it.

There was some water flow on to low-lying areas, but on the whole we can count ourselves lucky.

In contrast to the snowstorm in August last year, this time we had plenty of warning.

News agencies, councils and emergency services were able to provide regular updates of the potential danger and how that was being revised.

Congratulations to those groups who mobilised to ensure the public had access to the information they deserved. But it makes you wonder how prepared we are.

Looking at the dates and markings on the bridge, floods are not that uncommon.

The residents of Balgownie will no doubt be grateful for their added protection, but others will see as short-sighted the lack of progress on flood protection.

Perhaps as we reflect on what might have been, we should consider how protected and ready we are, individually and collectively, for when nature does unleash its might.

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