Editorial: Technology a godsend in emergencies

Flooding in Edgecumbe. Photo/Andrew Warner

It was with a pounding heart that I heard the news Edgecumbe was about to flood.

Sitting in the office yesterday morning, we were getting blow-by-blow updates as the incident unfolded.

First, we heard that the Rangitaiki River was about to burst its western bank. Then we heard College Rd was about to go under.

Then it did.

Evacuations were under way, and the water was rising.

While co-ordinating our coverage in the office, I was simultaneously trying to check up on my family members who live in the small town.

A cousin lives in College Rd with her partner, toddler and baby, another cousin lives in the Edgecumbe township with her children, and my husband's grandmother lives down the road in Otakiri.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to talk on the phone to our reporters and photographers in the air and on the ground at the same time that I was sending Facebook messages to my loved ones to find out whether they were safe.

The first cousin fled with her babies at the first sign of danger, the second cousin was evacuated after water rushed into her property, and our grandmother's garage was a bit wet, but she was otherwise fine.

It's such a relief in these situations to be able to turn to your phone and find out with just a couple of taps whether your loved ones are safe.

It's times like this that I appreciate the power of social media - say what you want about teenagers always looking down at their phones, but these modern tools of communication are a godsend in times of emergency.