Complacency could be a killer in Wellington

Wellingtonians should take heed of the horrific images from China and Myanmar in the past week – and remember that similar horrors could happen here – in an instant.

That's the grim advice from Adrian Glen, the Manager of Wellington City Council's Emergency Management Office.

He wants Wellingtonians to think about how we live in a major earthquake zone – and how complacency now could lead to "many completely unnecessary deaths" after a big quake here.

Many Wellingtonians know they must be prepared for a disaster - but they aren't. "When you think about it, it's incredible that most of us don't have emergency supplies – especially water - stored at home or in the workplace.

The Myanmar cyclone and the Sichuan quake should be chilling reminders to Wellingtonians that they have to be prepared for an emergency. The storage of water is top of that preparedness list.

"We really, really take our water supply for granted. People should just stop to think about how hard it'll be to get hold of a supply of safe drinking water if a big earthquake hits Wellington.

"We are probably talking days before tankers will be able to get water to some parts of the city and region after a big quake – and months before a reliable piped supply returns.

"But most of us are just not prepared.

"Overall, many New Zealand families are much better prepared with food and other emergency supplies than we are with water. You need 3 litres of water per person per day and enough for three days. That's 9 litres each. You'll need more water for washing and cooking. So if you can store more water then you should do so."

Adrian urges Wellingtonians to not mess about – and start storing water. "How hard can that be? If filling a few bottles and storing them sounds like a boring thing to do, just think about what it's like to go several days without water…"