Opinion: Better safe than sorry when weather hits

It is always better to take weather events seriously than have to face the repercussions of being under-prepared for a natural disaster.

An important lesson has been learned from Cyclone Cook - it is always better to be safe than sorry.

As soon as the remnants of Cyclone Debbie left our shores, with a trail of destruction in its wake, we were told to brace for another battering - this time from Cyclone Cook.

A state of emergency was put over the Bay of Plenty, schools closed early and families were urged to stock up on food and water.

By the time the storm touched down on Thursday evening, people had battened down the hatches and were ready for the worst.

Some localised areas got it worse than others; it hit Hawke's Bay particularly hard, with thousands still without power yesterday. But in Rotorua at least, the overall impression was that Cyclone Cook was not all it was cooked up to be.

Then the comments starting coming in saying the media was scaremongering, overplaying, sensationalising.

But consider this, if it had been as bad as forecasted - if it was the worst storm in 50 years to hit Rotorua and the media had downplayed it, the consequences would have been dire.

The families in Edgecumbe, many of whom are only just getting back into their flood-hit homes now, know what that feels like.

In the last month and a half, Rotorua has been taken somewhat by surprise by two weather events that saw roads cut off for days, culverts washed away and substantial flooding near waterways.

Both times the weather bomb caused Utuhina Stream to burst its banks and the wastewater treatment plant to overflow into Puarenga Stream.

Rotorua was not ready for these downpours so when it became apparent Cyclone Cook was heading right for the Bay, people paid attention and begun to prepare.

The supermarkets may have been manic and some may have been scared but at least everyone was safe.

It is always better to take weather events seriously than have to face the repercussions of being under-prepared for a natural disaster.

Predicting the weather is not an exact science yet but as a member of the media I stand by the level of attention given to the forecast.

Yes, the coverage from the last few days may now appear to have been overkill, but I would rather be accused of being sensationalist than having to report the fatal repercussions of a storm nobody took seriously.