Fire. Flood. Wind. Earthquake. Landslide – it could all happen.
Ruakokopatuna sits across two valleys about 20 kilometres south of Martinborough. Despite its relative proximity to town, some residents became acutely aware of their vulnerability during the recent significant weather event. In the wake of the Gisborne floods, Cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland deluge, and our own recent storms, a group of locals felt the time had come to consider establishing an Emergency Community Hub and strengthen our preparedness for future emergencies.
Although we are only a short distance from Martinborough, the sight of the Pirinoa bridge being washed away brought our vulnerability into sharp focus. We could find ourselves isolated for days. Ruakokopatuna is, after all, a rural community, covering around 15,000 hectares stretching around 25 kms from one end to the other.
Ruakokopatuna is, after all, a rural community, covering around 15,000 hectares stretching around 25 kms from one end to the other.
How It Started
The project got off to a strong start when we were awarded a $5,000 grant from Rabobank, specifically for this purpose. Since then, a steering group of eight have formed to keep things moving, and the response from the wider community has been fantastic – enthusiastic and encouraging.
We noted that The Mayor has requested that rural communities make themselves more robust in extreme events.
Guidance from WREMO
A well-attended public meeting was held with Mel Arcus from WREMO (Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office), who guided us through the early stages of establishing the Hub. The timing proved perfect: as the meeting got underway, a fierce hailstorm struck, rain bucketed down, and the power went out – a reminder of why we were all there.
What We Learned
Before meeting Mel, the steering group had assumed that a Hub would be a fully stocked facility – blankets, a shower, a generator, heaters, food supplies, a reserve water tank, and more. In fact, none of that is required. While some modest expenditure will be needed for a few essentials, what we learned is that the primary purpose of a Community Hub is to serve as a coordination, communication, and triage centre – a place to assess what people need and connect them with available resources. People have offered accommodation and meals. We now know there are several chainsaws, some heavy machinery, side-by-sides, ‘star-link’, generators and more. The skills within the valley are many and varied. The area is awash with a variety of useful skills.
Next Steps
We are now working on a confidential skills and resources register for the valley so we will have an idea of who can help and how, a spreadsheet recording what people can offer in an emergency – and are applying for further grants to cover the few items we do need. Obviously, this won’t be public knowledge, we don’t really want our valuable resources quietly disappearing!!
We are applying for a couple more grants.
Two phrases heard from those who lived through events in Gisborne and Mount Maunganui have stayed with me: “We just didn’t think it would happen to us” and “I wish we had been better prepared.” We are going to try to prepare, find ways to connect and look out for one another.
The ball is rolling, the momentum is there, and the enthusiasm in this community is real. We are still in the early stages – this is very much a work in progress – but we believe that enough is already in place that, if a major event were to occur tomorrow, we would be ready to help one another; we reckon resilience starts with neighbours working together.
