Kia ora!
With summer behind us, the team at WREMO are now looking to the colder months and the challenges winter can bring for the Wellington region.
Over the past few months the WREMO team have been out and about engaging with communities and promoting preparedness messages, and we are not finished yet! Check out the bottom of the page to see all upcoming event booked out in the next few months.
This month we are running our annual campaign. You might remember last year's campaign was all about emergency toilets. This year we are focusing on all things Tsunami!
If you have ever wanted to learn about how Tsunami can affect our region check out the article below to learn more!
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Tsunami Ready Month!
This month we are encouraging Wellingtonians to get Tsunami Ready!
All of the Wellington region’s coastline is at risk of tsunami which means many of us either live, work or play in areas that are in the tsunami zone.
Here are our Top 4 Tsunami Ready tips:
1. Know the natural warning signs of tsunami and what to do: If an earthquake is longer than a minute or strong enough to make standing difficult, move immediately to the nearest high ground or as far inland as possible. Don’t wait for an official tsunami warning - the earthquake itself is your warning. That is: If an earthquake is Long or Strong, Get Gone!
2. Find out if you live or work or play in a tsunami zone and make an evacuation plan. Check your tsunami zone here
3. Practise your tsunami hīkoi (your evacuation walk) if you live or work in a tsunami zone. Practicing your tsunami evacuation route to safety is important so that you don’t have to think about where to go while you’re under stress. Your mind and body know what to do and do it automatically. If your workplace is in a tsunami evacuation zone, we encourage you to make an evacuation plan and practise it with your colleagues.
4. Prepare a getaway bag/ grab bag, that has your essential supplies ready to grab if you need to evacuate in a hurry after the shaking stops. Having this kit near the door or under your desk is essential. Click here to learn more about grab bags here.
When it comes to tsunami in our region, information and preparation is key to making sure you can keep yourself and your whanau safe.
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Don't just take our word for it! Learn from the story of Tilly Smith who later became known as the Angel of the Beach.
On Boxing Day, 2004, Tilly Smith, then a 10 year old girl from the UK, was on holiday in Phuket, Thailand. She, along with her family and 100 other people were enjoying the serene calm of an early morning walk on the Mai Khao beach. Only the water didn't seem to be that calm.
Tilly noticed that the water was both frothing in a strange way and also that the water line appeared to be receding.
Remarkably, only 2-weeks prior Tilly had learned about tsunami and the warning signs in a geography class at school. She had even watched a grainy VHS video of a tsunami that hit Hawaii in 1946. The signs were exactly the same...
Tilly started to tell her parents over and over again that they needed to leave, that a tsunami was coming! At first her parents were dismissive, but eventually let the local life guards on the beach know that Tilly suspected a tsunami was imminent. The guards, along with Tilly's family moved all 100 people off the beach and back to the resort. And just in the nick of time! Not long after reaching the resort, a 9 metre high tsunami wave hit the Mai Khao beach.
Thanks to Tilly's quick thinking and understanding of the natural signs of a tsunami, Mai Khao beach was one of the few beaches on the island with no reported casualties.
This story highlights the power of knowing the natural warning signs of a tsunami. With all of Wellington's coastline being at risk of tsunami, this knowledge can make all the difference! Let's make sure we get tsunami ready!
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Long Walk Home 2024
We are just over a month on from Long Walk Home 2024 and we are still buzzing here at WREMO!
Nearly 200 people joined us on the walk from 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗮 (just under 30km)!
Ka mau te wehi to everyone who participated, hopefully you feel a little more prepared (and the blisters have recovered)! A special shoutout to Wellington Free Ambulance for coming along to support us on the day.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗮?
After a large earthquake in the Wellington region, 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿. Many of the city’s 80,000 commuters would have no choice but to walk home.
The Long Walk Home event 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 after the 2013 Seddon earthquake which happened on a Friday afternoon.
In this earthquake, the airport and rail links closed temporarily for inspection, and bus replacements were not available for many hours. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆.
Some commuters decided to walk home, some stayed with friends/whānau in the city while a community response also kicked in where people were offering rides home for those who were stuck.
Wellington was lucky in this event as the road and rail links were not damaged.
However, in a larger earthquake, these transport links are likely to be damaged and unavailable 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.
It highlighted the challenges of getting home after a large earthquake in the region. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲; 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 - a real world preparedness activity based on a bigger earthquake in the city to simulate and highlight the importance of commuters being prepared while making it a fun event at the same time.
This year's Long Walk Home route was to Porirua. Past events took us to to the Hutt Valley.
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Porirua Community Emergency Hubs - New street pointer signs!
Ka kite old 'civil defence centre' street pointer signs & kia ora to Porirua's new Community Emergency Hub - Street Pointer Signs.
Porirua City are proud to be rolling out the first Community Emergency Hub, Street Pointer Signs in the region. These will be in addition to the poster sign that you find at the entry of any Community Emergency Hub.
If you see them around, take note & use this opportunity as your reminder to get you and your whānau, organisation or business better prepared.
Take a look below are the new design!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Paraparaumu: Community Emergency Hub Open Day and Launch - April 13th 2024
Johnsonville: Emergency Response Practise - May 4th 2024
Wellington: Early Childhood Education Emergency Planning Workshop - May 6th 2024
Upper Hutt: Early Childhood Education Emergency Planning Workshop - May 8th 2024
Upper Hutt: Schools Emergency Planning Workshop - May 8th 2024
Mākara: Emergency Response Practise - May 18th 2024
Upper Hutt: Business Continuity Planning Workshop - May 21st 2024
Kelburn North: Emergency Response Practise - May 29th 2024
Upper Hutt: Continuity Planning for Community Groups - June 11th 2024
For full details see the events page on our website.
Don’t see your area in our upcoming events, no problem!
You can come along to any of our Emergency Response Practises or better yet, let us know if your community is keen to have a go at your local Community Emergency Hub.
It’s free, it’s fun and best of all anyone can do it!
Contact us on info@wremo.nz and let us know if your community is keen for go!
