Shake rattles Bay nerves

ROGER MORONEY
While Hawke's Bay emerged unscathed from last night's earthquake off Gisborne it had provided what local Civil Defence called a wake-up call for people and businesses.
Apart from a few fallen ornaments, flickering power and rattled nerves, the region escaped damage - although the immediate fear from callers to Napier and Hastings Civil Defence lines was the threat from the sea.
Hastings District Council emergency management officer Paul Hawke said people began calling shortly after 9pm.
"There were lots of calls from the public wanting to know if there was going to be a tsunami,"he said.
"It's a good reminder to the public and those living on coastal areas, if there is an earthquake, head to higher ground. We want people to ensure they are safe."
Napier CD manager Angela Reid said there were no reports of damage, but the first response from emergency services was "how can we help?"
"We have offered our support - whether it be building inspectors or any resources they need ... we are on call."
Thirty-four paid and volunteer firefighters from Napier and Hastings left for Gisborne at 2am today to assist local crews. They took five engines, one command unit and a support vehicle.
Police had not been asked for assistance at this stage.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group coordinator, Nigel Simpson said the earthquake served as a reminder to people that they should have a household emergency plan in place for a major earthquake that would affect Hawke's Bay.
The earthquake was felt as a long severe shaking accompanied by a deep rumble.
In Wairoa, which was closest to the epicentre, items were thrown off shelves in homes and furniture shifted. There were no immediate reports of structural damage.
Shopkeepers in Wairoa were faced with a clean-up of stock which fell from shelves.
Napier and Hastings escaped such a clean-up.
New World Taradale manager Ian Beaton said apart from a few dislodged items nothing was amiss.
At Jessica design store in Napier, where the shelves are filled with crockery and "breakables" nothing was lost.
Roads and bridges in the district have had an initial assessment and there appears to be no damage but there will be further checks today.
Ms Reid said while emergency groups "banged on" about the three-day rule of having sufficient water and food, last night's earthquake was a graphic reminder how vulnerable the community was.
"We do need to be prepared."
She said her Gisborne counterparts were reporting that power was back on to 95 per cent of the region and that they were coping. "But we are ready to help if needed."
* The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake was 7.8 on the Richter scale, according to the Art Deco Trust website. It was shallow, 16km deep, with an epicentre 15-20km north of Napier. There were 258 deaths in total in Napier, Hastings and Wairoa.