In visiting the Civil Defence headquarters in the Whanganui District Council building on Wednesday, it was obvious that everyone had their roles and were executing duties like a finely tuned and well oiled machine.
I have to congratulate mayor Hamish McDouall, chief executive Kym Fell and their staff as, without fuss and bother, decisions were made, communications sent and the phases of the operation were ticked off one by one.
Those on the street were aware of the critical times of tides and expected river rises, current levels at Pipiriki and the like.
I called on residents on Anzac Parade, who were well informed and well supported. Mates turned up to lend a hand shifting furniture, garages in other locations well above high water marks were made available and even at midnight trucks came to help cart furniture away.
Those residents who, in 2015, were told to evacuate in the middle of the night, were advised of evacuation times hours in advance and willingly complied despite fears they must have had that only recently completed post-flood refurbishments from two years ago were going to be required all over again if the river breached its banks.
Those going house-to-house were warmly welcomed and gave instructions in writing, which clearly articulated what was required and what the conditions of that compliance would be.
Even after the "all clear" was sounded, the Whanganui council advised that it had teams of volunteers able to assist people in getting gear back into their homes again.
Over decades of association with emergency events I have never seen it done so well.
Communication was the key and the motto of "Better safe than sorry" was echoed around the city and region. Every television and radio clip endorsed the community spirit abiding in Whanganui as a result of this event and the preceding event.
It is great to see that we are not only learning the lessons of preparedness to these natural events, but that the collegiality and rekindling of neighbours looking out for one another, taking instructions and lending a hand is the legacy of these events too.
Funnily enough it is not only Whanganui's hard infrastructure of roads, pipes, bridges, power lines and such that is stronger. It is also "community infrastructure" of neighbourhood relationships, knowledge of threats and risks to specific people and groups, but also the strengths and expertise of others that will pull us through these situations. Who to ask for, what and when are critically important in emergency situations because we don't always have time on our sides and a rapid and efficient response is required, not tension and panic.
There is an often quoted mantra called the Wisdom of the Six Ps. It goes something like this: "Prior Planning Prevents Pee-Poor Performance".
Congratulations and thanks, Whanganui and districts. You have proved the mantra correct.
