Richard Moore's Straight Talk Columns

That could've been us - do something!

15/3/2011

DEAR MAYOR Stuart Crosby,

Having spent a lot of time over the weekend watching the catastrophic events in Japan, I want to know just what is it going to take for the authorities in Tauranga to take the tsunami threat to our coastal suburbs seriously?

I'm concerned because not only do I live in Papamoa - but my kids, my friends, their kids, and about another 35,000 people do, too.

All up, we would make up at least one-third of your city and yet queries about evacuation plans for the area are either ignored, or snorted at, as if people are unreasonably worried about a tsunami and its consequences.

Let me remind you that in the past two years there have been three tsunami warnings for the Mount and Papamoa.

It has to be said that none have resulted in major walls of water hitting our shores, which is lucky for you because if even one had been half the size of the tsunami that hit Japan you would be still trying to bury 35,000 people.

You would also be facing an inquiry as to why - as the leader responsible for our safety - you have failed to increase the number of roads out of Papamoa from the currently inadequate three.

We have yet to see an evacuation plan from anyone - be it council or Civil Defence.

Two years ago we were told a plan was in the planning stage.

Where is it?

After the last tsunami warning we were told we would have one by last November.

Where is it?

A visit to your council's website provides an interesting insight into what is important for Tauranga City Council.

Apart from the usual facts and figures about our city, we have a big promo for helping people in Christchurch. Next up, we have a survey on what we think of our pools. Then a pollution prevention quiz.

Nothing on what to do in an emergency.

I eventually did find a link to Civil Defence - down at the bottom right of the front page of the website. It isn't prominent and, it has to be said, is almost not worth clicking on.

First up comes a screen asking me to subscribe to emergency updates via email. Fair enough, it is easy enough to do but there is one slight problem. It only covers me if my computer is on.

If an emergency occurs during those hours - anywhere from 5.30am to 11pm - I'll be notified. But I don't have my computer on while I sleep.

Most people don't and so most of the suburbs will be unaware until we float over the Kaimais - or are dead.

My mobile, however, is always on and so a text warning will get my attention.

The same with alert sirens.

Instead of canning them because many of us cannot hear the ones already erected, they should be added to and the gaps in coverage filled in. And keep them for tsunami or civil defence emergencies.

Our volunteer fire crews could be contacted by phone or text to alert them to blazes or car crashes.

Now while I'm on Civil Defence, their website is not great. I get info on the radio stations to listen to, but the link I'm interested in - Bay of Plenty hazards (Natural) - goes to an error page. Now I mention it, so does the man-made hazards page.

And there is not a published plan of what to do, or where to go, in a tsunami situation.

I may have man eyes, but I don't think there's a link at all to anything useful on the CD site that could tell me how to get my family, or elderly neighbours, out of Papamoa as a huge wall of water races towards us.

Bloody hell, Stuart, take this seriously.

Events in Japan show any fool the devastating effects of a tsunami.

The 10-metre surge of water reached 9km inland - more than enough to wipe Papamoa and the Mount off the map. Everything in its wake was obliterated by the wall of liquid filled with tonnes of debris.

Watching the film footage with fascinated horror I had to keep reminding myself this was not a disaster movie, but real life. Those boxes being shoved around by black water were not digital images, but buildings. Those white rectangles were cars, and the occasional black dot was a person.

Perhaps the most gobsmacking footage was of the tsunami speeding towards land. The 10-metre wave fair roared across the water with unstoppable force.

Stuart, you must act.

It would be negligent for you not to.

But, as usual, the people in power around here have a disclaimer.

On the Civil Defence website it is this: ``The BOP Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Group cannot guarantee that the Emergency Update emails will reach you during an Emergency due to circumstances outside of our control - like infrastructure failure - which may interfere with the email broadcast.''

Brilliant.

So this great scheme is based on something that may or may not work.

Back to the texts, or sirens ... or maybe just nothing then.

What the hell do we 35,000 people matter?

richard@richardmoore.com