The new council has many issues to address and it’s been a steep learning curve. As we articulated during the campaign, some challenges are long term and will require significant decisions. But others can be moved forward quickly with help from the community.
One issue I didn’t raise pre-election, but which has been a long-term interest for me, is community preparedness in this land of earthquakes, tsunami, floods and other weather events. The “big wind” several weeks ago (even before the new council was sworn in) brought the risks into focus when at one stage we had many houses without power and Wairarapa was completely cut off, with all exit roads blocked.
It affirmed for me that we urgently need a programme of community awareness because, when a big event happens, residents won’t be able to rely on “someone” coming to their rescue – we will need to rely on ourselves.
The Council is asking our newly-elected Community Board members if they would be the “promoters” of this in a way that builds on great work that has already been undertaken in our communities. Our Emergency Management people will work with them, sharing information and resources, but the vital element is the reach into the community that the Boards provide.
The hierarchy of help following an emergency event is firstly your own home/ whānau, then your immediate neighbours, then the street, then the community hub somewhere in your town.
Some residents are already well prepared with grab bags (updated regularly of course!), agreements about what each household member will do and a 200-litre water tank that all councils have been selling for this purpose. But others are not so prepared and that is a huge worry.
In a major emergency we need well-organised communities who know what to do and can reach out to help the vulnerable. South Wairarapa has four Community Emergency Hubs, the Martinborough ward ones being the Waihinga Centre, and the Ngawi Community Hall . They are places to come together, share information, offer and seek help, and solve community problems. But they are not the “first line of defence” for any of us – that is the street and the immediate neighbourhood.
Climate change and the time lapse following previous large seismic events mean we are extremely vulnerable. In a big flood or an earthquake each of our small towns has a high possibility of being cut off from the outside for a long period. Water and phone services may well be down and, in addition, people who commute to Wellington for work may well be stuck there and unable to return to their families.
Developing a household plan, looking over the fence to neighbours and then along the street and around neighbourhood are easy actions, and can be encouraged with advice, information and a bit of a push to nudge people with busy lives. My hope is that our Community Boards, who are at the heart of the three wards, are able to actively encourage communities to organise in a way we haven’t before.
The Community Emergency Hub engagement fostered in the last term of the Council with leadership from Community Boards was amazing, especially in Martinborough, but they are not in any way a substitute for household preparation.
Council and WREMO (Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office) have worked together to enhance preparedness and resilience through community workshops and engagements, and sourcing central government funding for resiliency assets like water tanks at community buildings, AEDs and coastal community resource containers, and by working with marae for planning to offer assistance to the public if needed.
Key questions are who knows where the vulnerable live in each neighbourhood – elderly, incapacitated, those on medication, new parents? And who knows where the neighbourhood resources are – large water tanks, solar power, chainsaws and even a digger?
I see Community Boards as the organisers, raising awareness and helping residents with suggestions, then connecting to and being the heart of the Community Emergency Hubs following an event.
We’re changing the Community Boards’ Terms of Reference to beef up this role. As an individual household, you can beef up your own resilience. Don’t wait to be asked! Even a supply of emergency drinking water is available right now – $128 for a 200-litre tank and downpipe connector kit, from the Council reception at the Waihinga Centre. Of course, some won’t be able to afford this, but many can – and they make great Christmas presents!
