Berhampore’s ‘Disaster Response’ Workshops start Thursday 9 February!

Despite the somewhat scary ‘disaster’ title, WREMO facilitator Jason Paul says these workshops are about getting to know each other better through fun friendly planning for our community together.

“One thing we learnt from the Christchurch quake,” says Jason “was that Lyttleton where people knew each other and were used to working together, coped best when the big one struck.”

Disaster response is less about ‘experts’ taking over, and more about communities planning ahead for what they need and want. “We’ve learnt a lot from Christchurch” says Jason, “and I’m looking forward to sharing that learning with Berhampore very soon.”

WREMO (Wellington’s Regional Emergency Response Office) has already run successful workshops with many suburbs across the region, including recently in Island Bay. Now WREMO has teamed up with the Berhampore Community Association to offer this workshop opportunity to Berhampore.

Berhampore’s new Community Association – Phillip O’Sullivan, Miriam Zeier, ‘Memon’ Yunus, Liz Springford, Pepe Robertson, Peter Frater, Helena Tihanyi, ‘Mack’ Tollo and Morag Ingram – warmly welcome you, your family and neighbours, as well as all our local groups and organisations.

“This is about our future,” says Association secretary Liz Springford, “and we hope a wide range of Berhampore will get involved. Planning together can create a better Berhampore in many ways, not just emergency preparedness. Spread the word, invite everyone you know, and let’s make this big for Berhampore.”

The workshops will be spread across three Thursday evenings, each a fortnight apart, on the 9th and 23rd of February, and 9th of March, for just two hours 7-9pm each night.

“We’d love to see everyone at all three sessions” says Jason, “but do feel welcome to come to whichever sessions you can.”

“We’ll start with deciding Berhampore’s strengths and vulnerabilities together and I’ll share the latest knowledge around disaster response. We’ll also talk about how we deal with things like food, water, shelter, medical help, physical and emotional support in the days following a disaster. Then in the third workshop on 9 March, we’ll pull everything together into a plan for Berhampore. What I’ve found with working with other Wellington communities, is that we’ve also come up with fun ideas like a winter movie festival and looking after our green spaces.”

“Our November quake eleven weeks ago was a wakeup” says Liz, “yet what I noticed was how we all reached out for each other as neighbours, family and friends.”

“People were asking ‘how are you’ across NZ and the local ‘Berhampore Peeps’ Facebook was a great support in the early hours of that morning. Best memory was the big breakfast with family and friends – and an afternoon seminar suddenly rescheduled from town to our living room.”

Berhampore’s ‘Disaster Response’ workshops will be held locally at the Wellington’s Samoan Assembly of God Church Hall, 193 Rintoul Street– a short evening stroll for most of us in Berhampore.

Simply walk into the church hall from 193 Rintoul Street (just by the dairy bus-stop). Or head to the church hall through Waripori Street or Angus Avenue entrances with good parking for cars and bikes.

Start 2017 well for yourself and those you care about – come along to Berhampore’s new ‘Disaster Response’ workshops from Thursday 9 February, starting at 7pm. See you there!
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