Editorial: Upsides in city's crisis reaction

Simon Waters

IT'S ODD to say, but last week's weather crisis was a positive thing.

The big one was that the city escaped potentially our worst flood on record. By the skin of our teeth, too, by all accounts.

Kowhai Park got its feet wet and there was plenty of action elsewhere, with slips and road closures and the sorts. But we were lucky, make no mistake.

Upside number two, then, was this: Practice makes perfect. The city's Civil Defence infrastructure has been well tested over recent years with floods in 2004, 2015 and now 2017. The value of all that experience cannot be overstated.

Anzac Parade residents are now old hands at evacuating their homes and took to it again like -- pardon the expression -- ducks to water. Volunteers popped up and instinctively seemed to know their roles. Neighbours took care of neighbours.

We will have more civil emergencies, possibly worse, possibly sooner rather than later. It is reassuring to know the city is prepared.

Upside number three: Two of the key cogs in the emergency response machinery were brand new in their roles. Big ups, then, to council chief executive Kym Fell who doubles as Civil Defence controller, and to mayor Hamish McDouall, whose declaration of a state of emergency was memorable for its drama but also his sense of command.

Faith in competent leaders in times of crisis is the single most important ingredient, and both were exemplary. So were many others in behind-the-scenes and important roles -- often for long stretches and without much sleep. It's what you do in times of crisis, but that does not mean the community is not grateful.

So to upside number four: The community was better informed than in any other crisis. New demands from social media may warrant a review, but across all spectra, important information got out to those who looked for it. There was a lot to tell, but most people seemed to know what they needed to.

There are those who have suffered -- we acknowledge their hardships -- but, for the most part, it was inconvenience and not loss. And that's another positive. No doubt there's more.