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Ready at Home

Make a Household Emergency Plan

A household emergency plan will help protect what matters most - you, your loved ones and your pets. It includes knowing the best way to leave your home in an emergency, where to meet and how to contact one another if separated.

Your emergency plan:

  1. List the household members, their contact numbers and any specific needs.
  2. Decide where you will meet following an emergency situation. List the name and contact details for someone outside the area who you can all check in with if you can't meet up.
  3. Plan for the impacts of a disaster including loss of power, communication, isolation and what that might mean for you and your whānau.
  4. Fix items of furniture like shelves, bookcases or TV stands to the wall to prevent them from falling over during an earthquake. For useful tips about how to reduce the risk around your home check out the Natural Hazard’s Commission’s resources.
    Go to the Be Prepared page on the Natural Hazard’s Commission’s website
  5. List the ways you can get reliable information during a response.
  6. Detail how to turn off water, electricity and gas if required.

Prepare Your Home

You can help reduce the effects of disaster on you and your property by taking the following actions:

  • Securing heavy items of furniture to the floor or wall.
  • Store loose items (dinnerware, crockery, and kitchenware) securely.
  • Removing or securing objects that may fall and cause damage such as wardrobes, bookcases, appliances or ornaments.
  • Store household products and chemicals safely to reduce risk of spillage.
  • Get a builder to check the structural soundness of your home.
  • If you see signs of ground movement, get the grounds checked by a civil engineer.
  • When the power goes out, remember - fresh food first

Plan to use fresh food first then refrigerated and then frozen foods. Use tinned and dry foods last.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The fridge will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

Get Connected

In an emergency or disaster situation, you'll need to know how to get information and how to connect with people around you in your community. Now is a good time to connect so you'll be ready if a disaster situation occurs.

Connect with Your Local Civil Defence

  • Follow the Marlborough District Council website or Facebook page.
  • Learn what radio stations Civil Defence will broadcast through in your area in a disaster situation.
  • You can find the websites, social media channels and radio stations that Civil Defence will use in your local area on the An Emergency - How We'll Inform You page.
    Go to the An Emergency - How We'll Inform You page

Connect with Your Neighbours

  • Share contact details with your neighbours so you can contact one another if an emergency occurs.
  • Tell your neighbours about your emergency plan and ask about their plans.
  • Have a chat about some of the hazards and risks in the area. They may have some fantastic local knowledge gained from previous experiences with floods, fires, earthquakes or storms.
  • Find out who amongst your neighbours may be able to help you or may need your help in a disaster.

Connect with Your Community

  • Get involved with the local community groups or volunteering opportunities in your local area. The better connected a community is, the better a community can respond to, and recover from, any type of emergency. To see if there are any volunteer opportunities that interest you
    Go to the Volunteer Marlborough website
  • Share information and updates about incoming weather or Civil Defence alert with your family and friends networks.
  • Join a local online community through sites like Facebook. If one doesn't exist for your area, consider creating one.
  • Contact Neighbourhood Support to find out if a network exists in your neighbourhood.
    Go to the Neighbourhood Support website
  • Go to the Ready in Your Community webpage for more information
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