Emergency Planning Guide
Emergency Planning Guide – A guide to Local Emergency Preparedness, your Hazards and more for Older People
Ready for Living and Emergency Management Southland are excited to have launched the ‘Emergency Planning Guide – A guide to Local Emergency Preparedness, your Hazards and more for Older People’ booklet specifically for people in the Gore District.
The booklet covers preparation, local hazards, important contacts and focuses on issues often faced by older people in a disaster.
The idea came about due to the increase of extreme weather events and natural disasters worldwide. Due to climate change and scientific predictions that the Alpine Fault will produce a large quake, we can expect more emergency situations more frequently. Tracey Fraser, Response Advisor for Emergency Management Southland, said ‘The most common hazards that could directly affect the Gore District are floods, storms and earthquakes but it is important to remember that events in other parts of the country can affect supply of grocery items, or services such as electricity or internet to Gore’.
The coordinator said ‘Many older people I’ve chatted to are not prepared for a disaster, with the kiwi attitude she’ll be right attitude.’
Requirements of the older population can be slightly different from the general population. Ms Aitken said ‘Many older people are staying in their homes longer with reliance on carers, cleaners and meals on wheels. In an emergency these services may not be able to reach their clients, so it’s really important for them to be prepared.’
The booklet contains reminders about storing enough medication and not waiting until the last minute to get repeats. Ms Fraser said ‘If you rely on electricity for your heating and cooking, you need to look at having an alternate option such as a fireplace, bbq or gas stove you can use, as there is the potential for power cuts that could last for a prolonged period. With telecommunication changing from copper lines to fibre, your landline will also not work in a power cut.’
GDC Emergency Preparedness Guide A5 Resource Booklet SEP22_WEB