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Time to turn our attention to our homes

Tuesday 14 November

Kaikoura earthquake – time to turn our attention to our homes

Positive steps in preparedness have been made a year on from the 7.8 earthquake that devastated Kaikoura and did serious damage to the capital – but we’ve still got a long way to go, according to Wellington City Council.

Due to the nature of the Kaikoura quake, many medium sized buildings in Wellington were badly affected and some have been, or are yet to be, demolished.

Mike Mendonça, Wellington Chief Resilience Officer, says: “While our CBD buildings got hit hard, our homes came through ok this time.

“There are lots of things we don’t know about quakes, but the one thing we do know is, the next earthquake will be different – it’s one thing to be out of the office, but it’s a completely different thing to have to leave your home.”

“We have got to look at our homes, both stand-alone properties and apartments,” adds Mike.

A recent survey of Wellington CBD apartment dwellers has shown that over 80% of respondents evacuated from within the capital following the Kaikoura quake.

“The findings from this survey have given us good insight into how inner-city residents were affected by last year’s earthquake,” says Community Services Manager, Jenny Rains.

“The biggest challenge for apartment residents is storage of emergency water and food, but having something is still better than having nothing.

“Our advice to inner-city residents is to talk to your building owner or body corporate and find out what the New Building Standard (NBS) percentage is. Make informed decisions on where you live, have an earthquake plan, and share it with your neighbours, friends and family.”

Look out for the Earthquake Planning Guide to help get you and your family prepared, and check out the getprepared.nz website for more ideas on how best to stay safe.

ENDS

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