The destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle is everywhere to be seen in Esk Valley. Photo / Neil Reid
The destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle is everywhere to be seen in Esk Valley. Photo / Neil Reid
OPINION:
It’s hard to believe anyone would try looting the homes made uninhabitable by Cyclone Gabrielle and adding to the misery of those who have lost everything.
After a natural disaster, red, yellow and white stickers identify how badly houses have been affected.
A red-stickered house means no one canenter the house as the safety risk is considered too great.
Red stickers are only given after careful consideration by emergency services.
They know these homes harboured the lives and dreams of families.
A friend who has been volunteering for the past four weeks in communities in Hawke’s Bay said when you see the faces of the families who have lost everything, look into their eyes - you’ll know you have to try to stay on a few more days.
He said they were trying their best to cope, but losing family treasures, memories and possessions is devastating for them. To me, looting from red-stickered homes is a despicable act.
It doesn’t take courage or skill, just the cunning to move about at night undetected.
I don’t blame any group or community for trying to prevent looters from roaming freely in affected areas.
These should remain cordoned off to nosey sightseers and those who have no business being anywhere near stickered homes.
Families may hopefully be able to salvage some of their possessions - they don’t want to know dishonest persons have already riffled and searched through these and made off with whatever they can transport.
After the Christchurch earthquake in 2010, looting did occur, and red-zone areas became prone to arson and vandalism as the month wore on.
Wood and forestry slash at the Waipunga Bridge in the Esk Valley after Hawkes Bay was smashed by Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo/ Mike Scott
Police and prosecutors warned at the time they would bring the full weight of the law to bear down on anyone brazen enough to take advantage of Christchurch’s time of vulnerability.
Although there have been calls for tougher penalties for looting crimes, the Government believes our current laws are adequate.
According to the Disaster Research Centre at the University of Delaware, in most Western countries looting is very rare when disasters occur. The overwhelming majority of citizens in affected emergency areas pitch in and help their fellow victims.
Not always the case in the United States. When a riot, natural disaster, or city-wide emergency occurs, there’s a high probability that members of the public will succumb to the chaos around them and engage in theft and criminal activity.
Authorities say it is a frustrating crime because it is nearly impossible to stop.
In the aftermath of a serious disaster, emergency officials are more concerned with saving as many lives as possible and distributing aid than they are dealing with preventing property theft.
Sadly, as time goes by, these types of opportunistic crimes occur.
- Merepeka Raukawa-Tait has worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Today she writes, broadcasts and is a regular social issues commentator on TV. Of Te Arawa, Merepeka believes fearless advocacy for equity and equality has the potential to change lives.
