Whanganui Civil Defence reminds community to ‘drop, cover, hold’ following magnitude 6.3 earthquake

Whanganui District Council emergency manager Tim Crowe says drop, cover, hold is the best practice during an earthquake. Photo / Supplied

“Drop, cover and hold” is the main message Whanganui District Council emergency manager Tim Crowe has for residents, following the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck near Wellington at 7.38pm on Wednesday.

No structural damage has been reported so far in the district and infrastructure teams will be out and about doing further checks throughout Thursday.

It was important to remain prepared for future earthquakes, with aftershocks expected, Crowe said.

Quake that struck yesterday evening.

“Protecting the head and neck area is vital during a violent shake, if anything were to fall or break above you during it, so drop, cover and hold if possible,” Crowe said.

Where not possible, including for wheelchair-bound residents, a pillow or blanket could be held on the neck area in a “tuck down fetal position”.

“Kids have learnt the ‘turtle’ drop position in schools,” Crowe said.

What to do in an earthquake.

There was a slightly lower risk of injury for people who lived in older homes with robust door frames, as the frames could withstand the tremors.

He said while it was a natural reaction to run outside during an earthquake, it came with major risk.

“It’s a human reaction for most to run outside during an earthquake, but there’s added risk to it. In a shake of the magnitude we experienced last night, you can gain tunnel vision or nausea whilst running through your home, not to mention tripping over on fallen objects.”

With the quake epicentre about 50km northwest of the Kāpiti Coast at a depth of 60km, the possibility of a tsunami was ruled out at the time.

“Residents with pools may have experienced sloshing water yesterday evening,” Crowe said.

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