Region's catastrophe plan almost complete

Taking a break during the CATplan workshop last week were Olivia Hamlin from the Rapid Relief Team and Senior Sergeant Danny Kirk. Picture supplied

Planning is now seven-tenths complete on how the region will respond in the wake of a tsunami brought on by a Magnitude 9 offshore earthquake.

Last week, a three-day workshop was organised to get a catastrophic plan (CATPlan) for the region 70 percent complete, which was done.

A key finding from the workshop was while it had been estimated to take 1 hour 40 minutes to completely evacuate the CBD and Awapuni zone, the first of several tsunami waves was expected just 25 minutes after a magnitude 9 tremor.

“It was a complex and confronting scenario to deal with, which is probably why it hasn’t been done before,” Tairāwhiti Emergency manager Ben Green said.

The CATPlan covers the worst-case scenario contingency plan for our region after an M9 earthquake focused on the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, 40km off Gisborne, and a subsequent tsunami.

The regional CATPlan is being developed alongside the national CATPlan.

Mr Green said the inter-agency collaboration last week started combined regional planning here.

“Even getting together to run these planning events is key to the readiness of our region.”

Mr Green said one of the confronting situations they dealt with was the large loss of life after an event like this.

“There would be a considerable number of fatalities if we don’t have a focus on readiness and risk reduction.

“Who is alive and able to lead and join a response is a key consideration for every agency and needs to be covered in business continuity plans.

“This means that often first responders after a disaster of this magnitude are your whānau, meaning it would be community-led in the early stages.

“Due to this, it would make a big difference if more people in our community had some level of first aid training.”

Mr Green says the plan looks at what a response operation would look like with the challenge of then managing the period immediately after an event while waiting for national and international support to come into the region.

“The inter-agency operational bits are what we do well already.

“However, the scale and magnitude of an event like this would overwhelm regional and national resources.”

The workshop was the second of three being held in our region based around the M9 Hikurangi scenario.

Last year, the first workshop brought leading scientists and tsunami experts from around the world here, and in September, a regional emergency centre simulation exercise will be carried out.

Remember —

■ A big earthquake such as an M9 centred in the Hikurangi subduction zone, off East Cape will be long and strong - so get gone.

■ Tsunami could arrive soon after the earthquake - there won’t be any time for an official warning.

■ It’s important to recognise the natural warning signs and act quickly.

■ In some areas it’s best to walk or bike if possible, rather than get stuck in traffic.

■ If you have family inside the evacuation zone don’t try to enter the zone to find them — this can cause traffic jams and slow down the safe evacuation of the area.

■ Trust your children’s school to carry out their evacuation plan.

■ If there’s no tsunami generated after two hours (for a local event) or Civil Defence advise you sooner, it will be safe to go home.

■ Listen to a local radio station for updates, and have a transistor radio with fresh batteries ready.