Bland Bay/ Whangaruru NORTHLAND Community Response Plan contents... Key Hazards ..........................................3 Plan Activation Process ......................19 Major Storms ................................................. 3 Flooding ......................................................... 3 Role and responsibilities .....................19 Tsunami .......................................................... 4 Rural Fire ....................................................... 4 Civil Defence Community Centres .............................19 Household Emergency Plan ................5 Emergency Contacts ...........................20 Emergency Survival Kit .......................6 Getaway Kit ................................................... 6 For further information ........................21 Stay in touch .................................................. 6 Plan Area ..............................................7 Flooding Map .......................................8 Tsunami information ............................9-10 Before, during & after ................................... 11 What zone are you in .................................... 12 Tsunami evacuation map Bland Bay ....................................................... 13 Floods Before, during and after ............................... 14 Major Storms Before and during ......................................... 15 After a storm, tornadoes and landslides ..... 16 Rural Fire Before and during ......................................... 17 After a fire, fire seasons & smoke alarms ... 18 2 get ready... The key hazards in Bland Bay/Whanagruru • Major Storms • Flooding • Tsunami • Rural Fire Major storms Major storms affect wide areas and can be accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain, thunder, lightning, tornadoes and rough seas. They can cause damage to property and infrastructure, affect crops and livestock, disrupt essential services, and cause coastal inundation. Severe weather watches and warnings are issued by the MetService and available through the broadcast media, by email alerts, and online at www.metservice.co.nz Flooding Floods can cause injury and loss of life, damage to property and Floods are usually caused by continuous heavy rain or infrastructure, loss of stock, and contamination of water and thunderstorms but can also result from tsunami and coastal land. storm inundation. A flood becomes dangerous if: • the water is very deep or travelling very fast • the floods have risen very quickly • the floodwater contains debris, such as trees and sheets of corrugated iron. Getting ready before a flood strikes will help reduce damage to your home and business and help you survive. 3 get ready... Tsunami Know the natural New Zealand’s entire coast is at risk of tsunami. A tsunami can violently flood coastlines, causing devastating property warning signs damage, injuries and loss of life. If you are at the coast and experience any of the following, move immediately to the A tsunami is a natural phenomenon consisting of a series of nearest high ground, or as far inland as you waves generated when a large volume of water in the sea, or can: in a lake, is rapidly displaced. A tsunami can be caused by large submarine or coastal earthquakes; underwater landslides • Feel a strong earthquake that makes it hard to which may be triggered by an earthquake or volcanic activity; stand up, or a weak rolling earthquake that lasts large coastal cliff or lakeside landslides; or volcanic eruptions a minute or more; Major storms beneath or near the sea. • See a sudden rise or fall in sea level; or • Hear loud and unusual noises from the sea Be Safe! Know your tsunami evacuation zones See the map on page 13 Flooding Rural fire Although there are many benefits to living in the country, rural property owners face a higher risk of fire than city dwellers. If a fire starts it may not be detected as quickly and emergency services take longer to respond because of greater travel distances. For information on fire danger, fire season status and requirements for fire permits visit www.checkitsalright..nz 4 get ready... CREATE AND PRACTICE Household Emergency Plan 5 get ready... CREATE Emergency Survival Kit In most emergencies you should be able to stay in your home. Plan to be able to look after yourself and your household for at Everyone should have a packed getaway kit least three days or more. Assemble and maintain your emergen- in an easily accessible place at home and at cy survival items for your home as well as a portable getaway work which includes: kit in case you have to leave in a hurry. You should also have • Torch and radio with spare batteries essential emergency items in your workplace and in your car. • Any special needs such as hearing aids and spare batteries, glasses or mobility aids • Emergency water and easy-to-carry food rations Emergency Survival Items such as energy bars and dried foods. • First aid kit and essential medicines Torch with spare batteries or a self- for your charging torch emergency toilet • Essential items for infants or young children such as formula and food, nappies and a Face and dust masks Radio with spare batteries favourite toy Wind and waterproof clothing, sun • Change of clothes (wind/waterproof clothing hats and strong outdoor shoes and strong outdoor shoes) First aid kit and essential medicines • Toiletries – towel, soap, toothbrush, sanitary items, toilet paper Blankets or sleeping bags • Blankets or sleeping bags Face and dust masks Pet supplies • • Pet supplies. Toilet paper and large rubbish bags HOW TO Alerts to your phone Stay in touch Two alerting platforms are used by Northland Civil Defence (and other official agencies) to send alerts about RADIO STATIONS WEBSITES severe weather, tsunami or other Newstalk ZB emergencies. Log on to one of the following 1026AM websites for more information The Red Cross Hazard App Classic Hits www.nrc.govt.nz/civildefence 95.6FM Emergency Mobile Alerts More FM Both options are free to users although www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthland 91.6FM smartphones need to be of certain capability to be able to receive them. www.geonet.org.nz/tsunami Radio Live 90.8FM We recommend that if possible, people www.prh.gov/ptwc/ take advantage of both. National Radio www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard 837AM & 104.4FM To find out more, visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/cdalert 6 get ready... Plan Area 7 get ready... Flooding Map 8 get thru... Tsunami sirens Northland Civil Tsunami Siren at Tutukaka Marina Defence will issue a tsunami warning - and trigger sirens - after Tsunami events in past years have shown that Tutukaka receiving an official marina and the entrance to the marina can be particularly tsunami warning affected. During such a tsunami event, it is dangerous for from the Ministry vessels to attempt entering or leaving the marina. This of Civil Defence area of the harbour experiences strong surges even during and Emergency Management National smaller tsunami events. A tsunami siren and warning light are Warning System. installed on the breakwater at the entrance to the Tutukaka marina. The siren is a standard tsunami siren as seen along the rest of the coast, while the light will be a yellow flashing light visible day and night. The system will be connected to the Civil Defence network and will be remotely activated whenever the rest of the coastal tsunami warning system is triggered on. The siren will on be What to do when you hear a active for 10 minutes every hour, while the light will remain on siren for as long as any tsunami danger exists. In addition, only the light can be activated manually when dangerous conditions Tsunami sirens and their strobe lights are just one part of a are expected at the marina and the entrance. Mariners are range of formal and informal warning systems, any one of being advised that as long as the warning siren and/or the which can alert people to a tsunami. light are active, they should not attempt to enter or leave the marina. Mariners are also being reminded that the safest The sirens and lights are a strong signal to seek further position for a vessel during a tsunami is in deep water well information. clear of the coast. When there is a tsunami warning the siren will sound intermittently. The strobe light will flicker throughout the event, from beginning to end. Evacuation methods Civil Defence warnings to this area will be by the Tsunami siren do’s and don’ts following methods. • Tsunami sirens Tsunami sirens don’t necessarily mean you need to • Warnings via radio evacuate the area right away or even at all. • P.A. systems on emergency service vehicles • Local procedures. e.g. phone trees They do mean you need to find out what the level of threat is. 9 get thru... Tsunami warnings Warning messages and signals about a possible tsunami can A phone tree is a network of people organized come from several sources – natural, official or unofficial. in such a way that they can quickly and easily spread information amongst each other. The Natural warnings current telephone trees, will be used to inform For a local source tsunami which could arrive in minutes, the community in the event of a Civil Defence there won’t be time for an official warning. It is important to Emergency Response and are held by members recognise the natural warning signs and act quickly. of the Bland Bay/Whangaruru community response group. Official warnings Official warnings are only possible for distant and regional source tsunami. Official warnings are disseminated by the Ministry of Civil Defence &