Zoe Hunter: ‘Uncommon’ or not, earthquakes jolt our complacency

A magnitutde 5.4 earthquake was reported in the Waikato, with people as far as Auckland and Christchurch saying they felt a "wobble". Image / GeoNet

OPINION:

I was half asleep when the house started shaking.

It took me a few seconds to realise it was an earthquake - a big one.

The shake was so big I found it tricky to move my body out of bed and stumble to the bedroom door where I braced my arms and legs against the frame.

Then it stopped. It lasted for what felt like almost a minute.

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A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook 20,000 people in the early hours of January 4 - including in Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty, and as far away as Auckland.

It has been 50 years since a similar-magnitude earthquake hit 5km south of Te Aroha, Waikato.

A 3.9 aftershock rocked Waikato and the Bay of Plenty closer to midday.

GNS seismologist, Dr Jen Andrews, told NZME this week that the quake was actually “quite uncommon”. Andrews said the quake was part of the Hauraki Rift near the Kerepehi Fault and was not a particularly active area.

Andrews said there had only been five earthquakes larger than magnitude 3 in this region in the last 10 years. There was a 4.9 magnitude back in 1972.

Uncommon or not, it was enough to rock me into packing an emergency grab bag, just in case.

The website getready.govt.nz has got a great guide if you are starting from scratch. It also has information about what you should have at home and in your car. Food, water and clothing may be the obvious ones but have you considered buckets, portable chargers and a shovel?

In March 2021, the Bay of Plenty’s emergency preparedness was put to the test after a massive 8.1 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands.

Thousands of people evacuated their homes and ran for higher ground after Civil Defence issued tsunami warnings for the North Island - including Northland, parts of the Bay, and the East Coast.

Long lines of cars snaked over the hills between Whakatāne and Ōhope, hundreds of people headed for the Pāpāmoa Hills, and local schools were evacuated.

The region was in a state of panic. Some said it all happened so quickly they didn’t have time to pack anything.

Several aftershocks of 2.6 magnitude or greater have followed this week’s initial jolt at 5.30am and Andrews said there was a possibility of a larger earthquake but the likelihood was low.

It was a reminder to us all not to get complacent about being prepared for an emergency. This time, we did not have to evacuate. Next time, we might not be so lucky.

We need to take responsibility for our emergency preparedness now, rather than being caught out when the next disaster hits.